Tyla is opening up more about her racial identity following an awkward moment during a recent interview.
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The singer stopped by The Breakfast Club recently, where she was questioned about a topic that’s been up for debate throughout her budding career
During her June 13 appearance on the show, Charlamagne Tha God asked Tyla what it means to be a “South African Coloured person.” But, she didn’t answer the question, instead turning her head to what appeared to be her publicist.
“Can we not? Por favor,” someone pleaded to radio host over the intercom. “Next one, please.”
In response Charlemagne just stirred the pot even more, saying, “I like that. I like [it]when they talk from the back and say we can’t [bring up certain topics]. That’s even better.”
This is far from the first time Tyla has sparked controversy over who she identifies herself. According to reports from BBC, the songstress first sparked a debate in 2023 after referring to herself as “a Coloured South African.”
Now, it looks like Tyla is looking to shut the chatter down for good. She took to X on June 14 with a statement via notes app, in which she insists she’s “never denied [her]blackness.”
”Idk where that came from…” she said of the idea that she doesn’t identify as Black.
“I’m mixed with black/Zulu, irish, Mauritian/Indian, and Coloured,” the singer continued. “In Southa I would be classified as a Coloured woman and other places I would be qualified as a black women. Race is classified differently in different parts of the world.”
Tyla went on to write, “I don’t expect to be classified as Coloured outside of Southa by anyone not comfortable doing so because I understand the weight of that word outside of SA.”
”But to close this conversation, I’m both Coloured in South Africa and a black women,” she wrote, concluding her statement by clarifying: “it’s and not or.”
From her statement, it’s easy to tell that Tyla is tired of this conversation, and she’s hoping her declaration puts an end to this subject.
