Tyla, South Africa’s new global sensation, has been quite the talk. She quickly rose to fame after her massive hit 'Water,' and it’s been nonstop for her ever since. But with fame often comes controversy, which has led audiences to discuss issues surrounding identity, culture, Afro-diasporas, and colorism.

Tyla’s controversy started when she referred to herself as 'colored'. Later, she appeared on the Breakfast Club where she was asked to clarify what exactly she meant by this term, but she refused to answer. The situation caused lots of backlash and discussions to erupt over social media. Many people used this moment to discuss how race is viewed across different countries and diasporas.

Many came to the defense of Tyla, saying that race is a societal structure that changes depending on the country; in South Africa, the term “colored” is equivalent to “mixed” in the United States. But despite this acknowledgment, due to American history, they will not call her “colored”.

Others criticized Tyla, saying it was unfair for her to be placed in black categories and perform at black award shows while “denying her blackness”. Some other backlash stated she was benefiting from being racially ambiguous and light-skinned.

As Tyla’s fame grows, more discussions on Tyla benefiting from her being light-skinned arise. Two additional situations that added to the discussion were her being awarded a Grammy for Best African Music Performance and her Dazed photoshoot. Audiences were quick to voice their opinions on Tyla’s Grammy win. Although there was much love and praise thrown, people couldn’t help but wonder if her being light-skinned was the reason Tyla won the award over older artists like Burna Boy and Davido.

Tyla’s Dazed photoshoot was met with lots of backlash, mainly for Dazed but Tyla was not left unscathed and accused of being insensitive to colorism. Many called out how dark-skinned men were used as accessories in the photo shoot to contrast Tyla, a light skin.

Although Tyla has faced her fair share of controversy, she has also been praised and shown love by many fans. Tyla has inspired many dance trends on social media. Because of her popular choreography and performances, Bacardi has been widely recognized by Western audiences. Many South Africans expressed pride that their culture is being shared in mainstream spaces and appreciate the representation.

It’s not just South Africans showing love toward Tyla. Fans find her exciting and refreshing in this current music industry, stating that her look, persona, and dancing make her exude the pop girl stardom that so many people have missed. Tyla becoming famous is a big sign to many fans the resurgence of pop stars will take place.

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