Tiwa Savage has broken her silence after her recent comments “apologising” for Tyla’s coloured identity went viral.
The Nigerian singer made headlines after she disregarded the South African’s racial classification in an interview with The Breakfast Club, a US radio station show.
Tyla later clapped back at the comments during her performance at a Global Citizens’ concert over the weekend.
TIWA SAVAGE: SORRY, NOT SORRY?
In a follow-up with The Breakfast Show, Tiwa Savage addressed the controversy of her comments about Tyla.
In a statement read by one of the presenters, the veteran Nigerian star shared: “Tiwa’s intention was never to speak for others, but to approach the question that she was asked with empathy.”
@breakfastclubam 👀 Tyla claps back after Tiwa Savage’s Breakfast Club interview, where Tiwa was asked about Tyla’s comments on identifying as ‘Colored’. Tap into the latest w/ @lorenlorosa_iconic ♬ original sound – The Breakfast Club
Last week, the 45-year-old was questioned on her views about Tyla identifying as a “coloured” person – a racial classification in South Africa, which is frowned upon in the US.
Tiwa used the opportunity to seemingly disregard Tyla’s comments about her race. She also took it upon herself to “apologise” to Americans who were offended by the term.
She said, “I would get why that would be such a huge thing here, because of the history behind that name. I think I felt for her a little bit because she is young. And I do not think she means to come across like that.”
“Where I am from, when something like this happens, the elderly would come and speak ‘on behalf of’. We apologise. So if that was not communicated, I would like to say on behalf of her, we apologise. We did not mean it, forgive us. I do not think it came from a bad place.”
TYLA: ‘I’M COLOURED’
Last year, Tyla angered many US fans when she refused to comment on The Breakfast Show’s questioning of her coloured identity.
The 23-year-old has proudly spoken about her mixed-race ancestry on her social media platforms.
Responding to the backlash, she posted on X: “Never denied my blackness, idk [I don’t know] where that came from. I’m mixed with black/Zulu, Irish, Mauritian/Indian, and coloured.
“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 SA. 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.”
Tyla previously told Cosmopolitan: “I’m happy there’s a conversation happening and that people are learning that Africa is more than just Black and white.
“I grew up as a South African knowing myself as coloured. And now that I’m exposed to more things, it has made me other things too.”
