Tyla's X Account Reposts Pitchfork Article Calling Her Rihanna's Replacement Amid Feud Rumours
- Tyla's X Account reposted a Pitchfork article that described her as ready to fill the gap left by Rihanna's music hiatus
- The repost came shortly after Tyla's album A-POP dropped off the Billboard 200 after just one week of charting
- The move raised eyebrows given the ongoing feud rumours between Tyla and Rihanna following their tense Met Gala encounter
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Source: Getty Images
Tyla has set the internet ablaze after reposting a Pitchfork review that positioned her as the artist stepping into the lane Rihanna vacated, sparking fresh debate about the supposed feud between the two stars.
What makes the move particularly eyebrow-raising is that the repost came just days after her album A-POP fell off the Billboard 200 following a single week on the chart.
Did Tyla repost the Rih shade?
The original Pitchfork article, published on 11 August 2026, read: "Rihanna's long hiatus from music has left space for a sexy, infectious, fun new voice — Tyla seems ready to occupy this lane."
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Tyla's X account apparently reposted it the following day, a decision that did not go unnoticed given the history between the two artists.
The drama between the two stretches back to the 2026 Met Gala, where Rihanna appeared to give Tyla the cold shoulder in footage that circulated widely online. Tyla addressed the moment publicly, insisting there was no bad blood, but her explanation seemed to add fuel rather than douse the flames. Rihanna later posted on Instagram using audio by Nigerian artist Ayra Starr — the lyrics asking "Who's that girl?" — which many read as a subtle dig at Tyla. The audio choice stirred its own conversation, given the ongoing cultural tensions between South African and Nigerian fandoms online.
X blogger @ThePopStuff was quick to flag the repost, noting that Tyla shared the article right after her album's brief Billboard run, framing it as shade towards Rihanna despite the South African singer's repeated claims that she holds no grudge.
So did Tyla actually repost the tweet? No! The singer took to her Instagram stories to state that her X account had been hacked.
Source: Getty Images
Fans react to Tyla's repost
The repost split fans sharply. Some saw nothing sinister in it, while others questioned Tyla's true motives.
@MoreTwoLyf offered a measured take: "The article is literally saying Rihanna has left such a huge gap in the music industry and Tyla is ready to occupy it. It's not saying she's replacing her. Or am I not understanding the English language?"
@amahleisadove was less convinced, writing: "When she reposted that Nicki drag tweet, she was hacked. Now she's reposting a weird article that subtly shades Rihanna; once again, she's hacked 😹😹"
@Urheartisminee pushed back on that narrative entirely: "She posted a tweet from X on August 5th, and all of a sudden she got hacked? Then, after seven days, the hacker reposted Rihanna shade? Come on. We've never once seen her chats, and the hacker never revealed them. All we hear is that she's hacked — lies we tell ourselves. Watch her."
Tyls to mingle with Jozi Tygers
In a previous report from Briefly News, two-time Grammy Award winner Tyla revealed she is back home in South Africa for a break with family and friends.
The A-Pop star announced a special Fan Appreciation Day for Joburg Tygers at Gold Reef City on 16 August.
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Source: Briefly News
