by Venus Sanders
On September 11, 2024, the MTV Video Music Awards aired, and fans were less than thrilled. While Megan Thee Stallion did host, it was evident that those who watched from home had much to say about the performances, looks, and then... Tyla.
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE VMAs?
The VMAs used to be one of the largest events on television, where fans, stans, industry professionals, and spectators all tuned in for the latest acts and fashions from their favorite celebrities. However, now in the age of social media, it seems fans are less interested in showing their support and driving up ratings when their favorite artists can literally hop on apps like Stationhead and X (formerly known as Twitter) to interact with them. No cameras, no shouting, no glam, just vibes.
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Chloe Bailey recently took to her TikTok live to share that her feelings were hurt when a fan called her "boring." She went on to defend herself, citing that she has done many appearances and performances and even recently released an album, so, to her, she’s pretty busy. The only difference is, she does not fancy industry parties for personal reasons, and that's perfectly alright.
For fans, however, their lack of interest in tuning into shows or feeling like artists are boring is due in part to a lack of artistry and actual talent. Many note that for most live performances, even if the production is really good, the singers lip-sync to songs and have no stage presence. One fan wrote in, “The VMAs this year was a 3-hour-long concert of forgettable performances with hardly any awards shown. Sadly, it has overstayed its welcome and relevancy.”
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Another fan pointed out promotional posters that used to coincide with the marketing efforts done by the VMAs in the past, which are now obsolete. We all remember that fateful night when Britney Spears kissed Madonna, and it was on the front cover of every tabloid within a ten-block radius in Manhattan.
So, what’s really happened? It seems that outside of award seasons, the artists just aren’t relevant enough for anyone to care about what they do on stage. Fans either tune in because they like the artist or because someone at the event has managed to attract some negative press. This year, it happened to be Tyla.
IS TYLA IN HER FLOP ERA?
It was not that long ago that Tyla made her splashy debut in the States with her hit record, "Water," taking the world by storm. The South African singer catapulted to popularity at what appeared to be a fast pace, but her fans, the Tygas, seem to believe otherwise. They argue that Tyla is no industry plant and, like acts such as Victoria Monét, Muni Long, Sabrina Carpenter and newbie Chloè Abadi, she has been grinding for years and has only recently achieved mainstream success. But, of course, with success comes criticism. Ever since that fateful day when she labeled herself as "coloured" instead of African American, many people within the community have been in an uproar.
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Tyla further doubled down during her appearance on The Breakfast Club when Charlamagne Tha God asked her to clarify what she meant. Instead of answering the question, she turned to her publicist, who instructed that they move past it. She did not clear anything up, which left a bad taste in the mouths of many African Americans. Her fans have since come to her aid, saying, "She’s not Black. 'Coloured' is a race and culture where she’s from, thanks to apartheid."
WHAT IS APARTHEID?
Apartheid was a system of institutionalized racial segregation and discrimination in South Africa enforced by the National Party government from 1948 until the 1990s. The word “apartheid” means "separateness" in Afrikaans, and it reflected policies aimed at separating South Africa’s population along racial lines, creating a hierarchy with white South Africans at the top, followed by "coloured" people, and Black South Africans at the bottom.
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The racial classifications during apartheid included: White, Coloured (mixed-race individuals, including people of diverse ethnic backgrounds such as African, Indian, European, and Malay descent), Black, and Indian/Asian. Tyla has Zulu, Irish, and Mauritian-Indian heritage, which makes her a coloured South African. All in all, Tyla is not African American and does not have to identify as Black.
THE RIHANNA COMPARISONS
Despite this, many fans have begun drawing comparisons between Tyla and Rihanna, citing that during her rise to fame, Rihanna proudly stated that she is from Barbados and is Bajan but never vehemently declined being referred to as a Black woman in the United States. However, Tyla can't seem to catch a break. As a South African, many African Americans believe that, since she is here in the West, she should not shy away from being called a Black woman.
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This heavy denial leads many to believe that she finds the term degrading and that she views the culture as inferior to who she is and where she’s from. Now we get to the VMAs, where, due to their disregard for the 'Water' singer, some fans believed that at one point during the night, while accepting her award, she was asking Halle—a proud African American young lady—to hold her award for her. This outraged many social media users, who saw this as yet another display of superiority.
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