Tiwa Savage sparks backlash after apologising for Tyla

NIGERIAN star Tiwa Savage has sparked conversation after she weighed in on Tyla’s ongoing "coloured” identity controversy during an interview on The Breakfast Club.

- NOMATHAMSANGA SITHATHU

The 45-year-old singer was asked by co-host Loren Lorosa what she thought of the backlash Tyla received for expressing that she identifies as coloured in America, where the term is considered a slur, as well as how she thinks Tyla handled it.

Savage said she understood the sensitivity of the word in America but also felt sympathy for the 23-year-old South African star.

“I would get why that would be such a huge thing here, because of the history behind that name,” Savage said. “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,” she said.

The moment brings the conversation back to Tyla’s own interview on The Breakfast Club