Tyla Emphasizes African Music’s Diversity in MTV VMAs Speech
By SG Editor|
Tyla described the win as “special but also bittersweet.” Her comments were in relation to the tendency of western award bodies to group all African artists under the Afrobeats umbrella. “Even though Afrobeats has run things and opened doors for us, African music is so diverse,” Tyla said. “I come from South Africa, and I represent amapiano and my culture,” she said, adding shoutouts to Tems, Ayra Starr, Burna Boy, and other artists nominated in the category. It plays into the now long-running controversy of African artists distancing themselves from the Afrobeats tag.