Tyla

Accepting the Best Afrobeats VMA, Tyla said her victory was "bittersweet" because grouping African artists under Afrobeats could erase other genres such as amapiano. Some commentators saw this as an attack on Afrobeats or a refusal to embrace the genre that had given her an international category.

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Following her international success, older posts in which Tyla described herself as South African "Coloured" became controversial in the United States, where the term carries a different racist history. The controversy sparked debate about South African and American racial categories.

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During an interview on The Breakfast Club, Charlamagne tha God asked her to address the debate surrounding her identity; her team requested that the question be avoided. The clip prompted another wave of comments accusing Tyla of refusing to define herself clearly.

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Tyla's Best New Artist win at the BET Awards sparked online debate, with some American fans arguing that Sexyy Red, in particular, should have won the category.

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After winning Best Afrobeats at the VMAs, Tyla asked for help holding the heavy trophy during her speech. Internet users interpreted the gesture, particularly towards Halle Bailey and Lil Nas X, as arrogant or entitled behaviour.

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