Tyla’s identity and background have been under intense scrutiny since her ascent to fame and Grammy win. Recently, the singer reignited the discourse around her heritage after declining to discuss her colored ethnicity. On Thursday’s episode of The Breakfast Club, host Charlamagne tha God asked the star a question about her racial identity. “School me on these debates that they be having about your identity as a South African colored person. What does that even mean?” the host asked during Tyla‘s The Breakfast Club interview. In response, the 22-year-old looked back at a member of her team, who replied, “Yeah, can we not, por favor?”
Charlemagne agreed to move on. However, he mentioned that he would leave that moment in the published interview. “Next one, please,” the voice in the background asked after the Water crooner looked back again. Unsurprisingly, Tyla’s The Breakfast Club interview went viral in no time, sparking controversy. This prompted her to break her silence, offering an explanation. Taking to her Instagram story, Tyla shared a screenshot of an iPhone note. In it, she revealed she never denied her blackness and didn’t know where such comments came from. “I’m mixed with black/Zulu, irish, Mauritian/Indian and colored,” she noted.
Tyla Makes Herself Clear
Tyla also delineated that her colored identity was unique to where she was from. “I don’t expect to be identified as Coloured outside of Southa by anyone not comfortable doing so because I understand the weight of that word outside of SA,” she said. The young star also emphasized that she was colored in South Africa and a Black woman. “As a woman of the culture, it’s and not or…with that being said ASAMBEEE 💕,” she finished. The Shade Room reposted Tyla’s post, and fans had much to say. Many asked the public to leave Tyla’s identity alone and focus on other things. According to them, the continuous questioning about her ethnicity was tantamount to harassment. Others revealed they wouldn’t even explain if they were in Tyla’s position, as it was nobody’s business.
