Tyla Addresses Online Backlash After Asking for Help During Her 2024 VMAs Speech

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Tyla is wasting no time to clear the air surrounding a misunderstanding attached to her VMAs 2024 acceptance speech.

In case you missed it, Tyla, who debuted a new blonde hairdo during the night, was nominated for three categories at the 2024 VMAs and ended up taking home the Moon Person for Best Afrobeats for her viral single "Water" during the show, which aired live from New York's UBS Arena.

Related: VMAs 2024 Winners: Taylor Swift Now Most Awarded Artist in VMAs History

Tyla was presented with the award by Halle Bailey and Lil Nas X and asked the presenters for help holding the Moon Person before giving her speech. (If you've watched any VMAs, you know multiple people are taken aback by the weight of those trophies!)

"Oh my gosh. You guys know me and holding awards. Yo, I cannot — I'm not strong enough. Please, please," Tyla said at the time, and Lil Nas X happily obliged.

Tyla's asking for help, however, was scrutinized and criticized online, which she's now addressing. "Y'all make everything weird…," the South African star wrote on her X account. "I was not asking my girl Halle… We just girls, STFU I WON A VMAAAA."

For those paying attention to Tyla's speech and not her trophy, you'd know the singer actually made some great points about the tokenization and generalization of music born beyond the U.S. and U.K. borders, particularly African music.

Related: Why Must Tyla Repeatedly Defend Her Blackness?

"I know there's a tendency to group all African artists under Afrobeats. Even though Afrobeats has run things and has opened so many doors for us, African music is so diverse. It's more than just Afrobeats. I come from South Africa. I represent Amapiano. I represent my culture.

You can watch Tyla's full 2024 VMAs speech below:

Originally Appeared on Teen Vogue

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