Tyla Reflects On Backlash She Received After Referring To Herself As A ‘Coloured’ Woman: ‘I Felt Like I Had No Control’

February 18, 2025 by Kay Johnson in Music with 0 Comments

Tyla Reflects On Backlash She Received After Referring To Herself As A ‘Coloured’ Woman: ‘I Felt Like I Had No Control’

South African pop star Tyla recently opened up about the controversy she faced after describing herself as a “coloured” woman.

In a recent interview with British Vogue, the 23-year-old “Push 2 Start” singer shared how quickly the situation escalated, saying:

“Honestly…I felt like I had no… no control. People took it and… it just went so far that I didn’t know what to do.”

She continued:

“The way people painted me… and I understand that word is a sensitive word for people, so I don’t blame anyone for being touched by it. I just would have wanted an opportunity for people to actually listen and learn.”

Tyla

If you recall, Tyla faced intense scrutiny in 2023 after a resurfaced video from 2020 showed her proudly claiming her “coloured” heritage. Many Black Americans took issue with the statement, as the term was historically used as a slur during the Jim Crow era.

Amid the backlash, Tyla and her supporters — both American and South African — explained that the term in South Africa is commonly used to refer to people of mixed descent. However, critics pointed out that the classification itself has roots in South Africa’s racist apartheid system.
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Tyla also admitted in the interview she was relieved that she avoided discussing the controversy during a radio appearance shortly after the incident. She explained:

“Me choosing not to say anything… I’m happy that I didn’t. I didn’t want to explain my culture and something that is really important to me on a platform that was just going to purposefully misconstrue it.”

She added:

“I’ve explained it many times before, but people took that and put words in my mouth. They said a whole bunch of things I never said and ran with it.”