South African Grammy-award-winning singer, Tyla Laura Seethal has addressed accusations of denying her black heritage by clarifying that she is not white.
The discussion about Tyla’s race and ethnicity began when fans unearthed a TikTok video she posted years ago before the international success of her song “Water,” which went double platinum where she proudly celebrated her mixed heritage and identified herself as a “proud Coloured South African woman.”
American media personality and comedian, Lenard Larry McKelvey, better known as Charlamagne tha God allowed Tyla to address the remark, but she chose not to respond, and her publicist requested that the question not be included in the record.
Her silence didn’t help because Black American fans perceived her as lacking understanding of why the term “Coloured” is no longer accepted in this country’s culture.
Amidst mounting controversy, Tyla issued a statement on her X page clarifying that she never denied her Black identity; rather, she emphasized her embrace of diversity.
Tyla, 22, proudly stated that her ancestry is a beautiful mix of Black/Zulu, Irish, Mauritian/Indian, and Colored backgrounds. She also noted that while she is classified as a Coloured woman in South Africa, she is recognized as Black in other parts of the world.
The ‘Truth or Dare’ crooner also acknowledged that racial classifications vary by location and culture. She stated that she understands the significance and context of the term “Coloured” outside of South Africa and does not expect others to categorize her as such.
Read Also: How I delayed my debut album because of Tems – Tyla
She tweeted,
“Yoh guys, [I have] never denied my blackness, idk where that came from…
“I’m mixed with black/Zulu, irish, Mauritian/Indian and Coloured.
“In South Africa I would be classified as a Coloured woman and other places I would be classified as a black woman.
“Race is classified differently in different parts of the world.
“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. But to close this conversation, I’m both Coloured in South Africa and a black woman.”
Read Also: South African singer, Tyla says Wizkid is on same level as Michael Jackson, Drake, others