South African singer Tyla has finally broken her silence after being constantly compared to pop star-turned-business mogul Rihanna.
Thanks to her breakthrough song "Water," Tyla has made waves all over the world, bringing Afrobeats to a bigger spotlight.
Tyla Reacts to Being Compared to Rihanna
Speaking to Cosmopolitan, Tyla became candid about her reaction toward being compared with the "Umbrella" singer.
"Rihanna is Rihanna. It's a compliment," she affirmed. "But at the same time, I'm my own artist. I'm Tyla. And I know as people get to know me and my music, they will see me as just Tyla. So I'm fine with it now."
Tyla recently received the inaugural Grammy Award for Best African Music Performance at the 2024 Grammy Awards for her performance in "Water." The song reached No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 4 on the UK Singles Chart, and No. 1 on the World Digital Song Sales chart.
While being compared to Rihanna is a huge compliment because of her success and impact in music, Tyla expounded on why she doesn't want to be tied to that perception.
@ifouzezi I look up to Rihanna - Tyla #tyla #celebgist #southafrica #ifouzezi #Rihanna #ifo #naijablogger #Superbowl ♬ original sound - iFo
"People want to tie me to something familiar to them, cool," she shared. "But at the end of the day, we're doing something no one's done before, and it can't really be compared to anyone."
Tyla's "Water" was recently nominated at the 2024 Ivor Novello Awards for Best Contemporary Song.
Tyla Cancels Tour Due to Health Condition
Speaking to Billboard, Tyla shared about her frustrations in canceling her tour.
"It's difficult because I want to go. It's the moment that I've been waiting for," she told Billboard. "It's not an easy decision, but it's the right decision."
Supposedly, Tyla is set to tour the United Kingdom, Europe, the United States, and Canada for her first-ever World Tour. Sadly, a health condition has set her back.
"As much as this is something I would rather have dealt with privately, it's important that I share what I have to share with you today," she explained in an extensive post on Instagram. "For the past year, I've been silently suffering with an injury that has tragically worsened. I've seen doctors and specialists with high hopes but the pain has only become more agonizing as has the severity of the situation."
Tyla has not specified what ailment she has since described as "tragically worsened," but it seemed pretty severe that she would be canceling the entire tour to aid in her recovery.
READ ALSO: Tyla Continues Victory Lap After 'Water': 'It's the Moment I've Been Waiting For'
