Tyla has once again addressed the controversy surrounding her identity.
“You know that even if you give the best explanation, people will still choose not to understand,” the 23-year-old told British Vogue. “But I’m at a point where I know who I am. I know I’m a Black woman and I know I’m a Coloured woman as well and you can be both. And the people that care to learn, they understand now. And that’s enough for me.”
The way the South African singer views her racial background has been called into question before. In a TikTok video from 2020, before her rise to stardom, she shared that she self-identifies as a “Coloured South African,” explaining that she “comes from a lot of different cultures.”
Tyla's use of the word “Coloured” sparked intense debate online, particularly in the U.S. where the word is seen as a slur. However, it is an officially recognized identity in South Africa.
The topic of Tyla's racial identity came up again during an appearance on The Breakfast Club last June, where Charlamagne tha God asked her to explain what it means to be a “South African Coloured person.”
While Tyla evaded the question during her interview, she later addressed it on X. “Never denied my Blackness, idk where that came from,” she wrote. “I’m mixed with Black/Zulu, Irish, Mauritian/Indian, and "Coloured.”
Tyla went on to explain that she’s viewed as a “Coloured woman” in South Africa, and in other places, she’s seen as a Black woman. “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 close to this conversation, I’m both Coloured in South Africa and a Black [woman].”