During her acceptance speech at the 2024 VMAs, South African artist Tyla, who won Best Afrobeats for her hit single “Water,” used the opportunity to emphasize her connection to Amapiano, a South African music genre.
“I know there’s a tendency to group all African artists as Afrobeats,” Tyla remarked. “Even though Afrobeats has run things and opened doors for us, African music is so diverse.” She added, “I come from South Africa and I represent Amapiano and my culture,” while acknowledging fellow Afrobeats nominees such as Rema, Tems, Ayra Starr, Burna Boy, Wizkid, and Davido.
Tyla’s comments have sparked controversy, particularly among Nigerian fans and critics, who have questioned her decision to distance herself from the genre for which she won the award. Media personality Do2tun criticized her, saying, “Aunty @tyla aka am not Afrobeats, I am Amapiano. We have heard you but your song ‘Water’ isn’t amapiano either. If you thought you were categorized in the wrong category, you should have given the award back or denounced the nomination.”
Tyla’s speech has been perceived by some as a disassociation from Afrobeats, which some see as part of a troubling trend of artists distancing themselves from the genre despite its global success.