Earlier today (June 13), “The Breakfast Club” premiered a new interview with Tyla, who spoke candidly about her music, the viral “Water” dance, her upbringing, and much more. She even briefly revisited a humorous exchange with Kai Cenat when she joined him for a livestream.
Near the end of the interview, Charlamagne Tha God asked about South Africa’s Coloured designation, a term used for residents of mixed ancestry. However, her team insisted on moving to another topic. As a result, viewers responded on YouTube and social media with varying opinions about the Grammy winner’s race and heritage.
In response, Tyla hopped on her Instagram Stories to clarify her background and shut down any notion that she’s not proud of where she came from. “Never denied my Blackness. [I don’t know] where that came from,” she began. “I’m mixed with Black, Zulu, Irish, Mauritian, Indian, and Coloured. In [South Africa], I would be classified as a Coloured woman, and n o other places, I would be classified as a Black woman. Race is classified differently in different parts of the world.”
Tyla continued, “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. As a woman of the culture, it’s ‘and,’ not ‘or.'” The singer closed by saying the word “Asambe,” which means “Let’s go” in Zulu.
Back in March, Tyla released her self-titled debut LP, which consisted of 14 songs and additional features from Kelvin Momo, Tems, Gunna, Skillibeng, Becky G, and Travis Scott, the last of whom appeared on the remix of the hit single “Water.” The project debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s World Albums chart.
Tyla just celebrated a tremendous feat. Her self-titled debut album has received more than one billion Spotify streams.This astounding feat solidifies her position as a rising star in the music industry.
The album’s success stems from its notable tracks.The most-streamed song, Water, has had over 600 million streams alone.That Grape Juice reports that the track’s addictive tempo and enticing lyrics have made it a fan favourite.
Truth or Dare is not far behind, with over 85 million streams. Jump, featuring Gunna and Skillibeng, has already received more than 80 million streams.Jump’s music video was released last month, which helped boost the song’s popularity.Tyla’s record, which was released earlier this year, has received a lot of positive feedback from fans and critics.
