Tyla Reflects On Controversy Surrounding Her Racial Identity & Viral ‘Breakfast Club’ Interview: ‘When Who You Are Is Challenged […] It Shakes You’

Tyla Reflects On Controversy Surrounding Her Racial Identity & Viral ‘Breakfast Club’ Interview: ‘When Who You Are Is Challenged […] It Shakes You’

Tyla is speaking out about the discourse surrounding her identity.

The singer faced criticism after a 2020 TikTok resurfaced where she referred to herself as a “Coloured South African.” When she was asked about the term in a 2024 Breakfast Club interview, she declined to engage, which only intensified the drama.

Now, in a conversation with Variety, she’s revisiting the controversial topic, sharing: “That [controversy] was really confusing for me. I understood both sides of the story, but I was left asking, ‘OK, but what do I do now?’ When who you are is challenged, especially when it’s all you’ve ever known, it shakes you. You want to stand your ground, because if you don’t, someone else will try to define it for you.”

 

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Tyla’s background includes Zulu, Irish, and Mauritian-Indian heritage, and while “Coloured” is a common term for mixed-race South Africans, many Black Americans find the term offensive due to its ties to racist history in the U.S.

Tyla also noted during her latest interview: “I don’t expect to be identified as Coloured outside of [South Africa] by anyone not comfortable doing so because I understand the weight of that word outside [of South Africa]. But to close this conversation, I’m both Coloured in South Africa and a Black woman.”

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[VIA]