South Africa’s rising music star Tyla has again beaten Nigerian music artists to win the ‘Best Afrobeats’ at the 2024 MTV EMA awards.
The Nigerian artists, Tyla beat to clinch the award include Asake, Tems, Burna Boy, Ayra Starr and Rema.
The MTV Europe Music Awards (EMAs) held on Sunday at Co-op Live in Manchester, United Kingdom, marked the seventh time the event took place in the UK.
Hosted by British singer Rita Ora for a third time, the ceremony celebrated top global and regional talent across various music genres.
Tyla took centre stage by winning “Best Afrobeats,” beating a solid line-up of Nigerian contenders, including Asake, Rema, Burna Boy, Ayra Starr, and Tems.
Tyla also won “Best African Act,” surpassing music stars such as Asake, Ayra Starr, DBN Gogo, TitoM & Yuppe from South Africa, and Tanzania’s Diamond Platnumz. Tyla also won the Best R&B category, beating Kehlani, SZA, Tinashe, Usher, and Victoria Monét.
She was nominated for best new artiste alongside Ayra Starr, but American’s Benson Boone won it.
This accomplishment makes Tyla the first African artiste to win three single-night awards at the MTV EMAs.
Recall that in September, Tyla made headlines at the MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) for winning the “Best Afrobeats” category, becoming the first African female artiste to secure the award since its inception in 2023.
However, she stirred debate by clarifying that she identified with the Amapiano genre rather than Afrobeats, stating, “This is so special but also bittersweet because I know there’s a tendency to group African singers under Afrobeats.
Afrobeats have opened many doors for us, but African music is diverse—it’s more than just Afrobeats.
I represent Amapiano and my culture. This is a shout-out to my fellow VMA nominees, Burna Boy, Tems, Lojay, and Ayra Starr. Africa to the world!”
Her comments sparked backlash, especially among Nigerian fans, who questioned her acceptance of the award if she didn’t consider her song to be Afrobeats.
However, at the 2024 MTV EMAs, Tyla took a different approach, expressing gratitude for Afrobeats and acknowledging its role in elevating African music globally.
During her acceptance speech for Best Afrobeats, she said, “I can’t believe this. All the nominees have taken Afrobeats so far, and I’m honoured to be part of this and win this. Thank you to my Tigers for voting for me, God, and Afrobeats for opening doors for African music.”
Her speech now appears to respectfully acknowledge Afrobeats’ impact on African music, contrasting with her previous stance at the VMAs.
