Tyla reveals she was bullied for her skin tone and hair texture at ‘very white’ primary school in South Africa as she poses for striking Vogue shoot

Tyla has candidly revealed how she was bullied for her hair texture and skin tone when attending a ‘very white’ primary school in her native South Africa.

The Water hitmaker, 23, was born near Johannesburg – where she says she had very negative experiences during her early education. 

Speaking to Vogue, she said the bullying made her ‘hate herself’ before she moved to high school.

She said: ‘I went to a very white primary school. I really hated myself. 

‘And then I went to high school, which was predominantly Black and cultured, and that’s where I actually grew to love myself and became really proud of who I am.’

She looked incredible for the Vogue shoot as she showed off her incredible figure in a skimpy red and white crop top and black trousers. 

The Water hitmaker, 23, was born near Johannesburg – where she says she had very negative experiences during her early education

For another striking outfit she wore a yellow and white polka dot co-ord which flaunted her endless pins. 

Elsewhere in the interview she broke her silence about being criticised for her actions at the MTV Music Video Awards last year. 

She was lambasted online after handing her trophy to Lil Nas X, because it was too heavy while on the stage accepting the award.

She told Vogue about the incident: ‘When people were telling me I’m entitled, I was very confused because I was just asking Lil Nas, who is a friend, to help me hold it while I was giving the speech. 

‘Guys, those awards are very heavy! And at that moment, I had an important message. I really didn’t want to be focused on struggling to hold this award.’

At the time fans slammed Tyla for her ‘tacky’ behavior after claiming she wasn’t ‘strong enough’ to hold her award for Best Afrobeats during her acceptance speech.

She won the accolade for her 2023 single Water and was greeted by actress Halle Bailey, who looked very glamorous in a racy red dress, and rapper Lil Nas X as she made her way onto the stage at New York’s UBS Arena.

Looking stunning in a strapless yellow dress which featured a tasseled hem, Tyla took the silver moonman statue from Lil Nas X, 25, immediately but refused the winner’s envelope that Halle, 24, tried to hand to her.

She looked incredible for the Vogue shoot as she showed off her incredible figure in a series of skimpy looks

Speaking to Vogue , she said the bullying made her ‘hate herself’ before she moved to high school. She said: ‘I went to a very white primary school. I really hated myself’

‘Oh my gosh!’ the singer announced, before quickly realizing that the statuette was quite heavy as she turned around and said to the duo: ‘I’m not strong enough, please, please…,’ suggesting that one of them hold it for her.

Mother-of-one Halle stood still and grinned at the singer while Lil Nas X quickly stepped forward and took the award for her as Tyla continue with her acceptance speech – but fans were not impressed with her actions and took to social media to share their thoughts.

When a clip of the rather awkward moment was shared on Instagram, one person commented: ‘Asking Lil Mermaid to hold your award is diabolical. Have some decorum!’ while another said: ‘I think that was very tacky of her hold your award sweetheart.’

A third person joked: ‘Halle said the only thing I’m holding is my baby,’ while a fourth Instagram user observed: ‘The way Halle didn’t move a muscle needs to be studied.’

Someone else mocked Tyla and wrote: ‘Girl, that’s the Little Mermaid! She ain’t holding yo damn award,’ while another commented: ‘Halle said no ma’am, Nas had no choice lol.’

A different fan said: ‘She’s gorgeous.. but so odd. Her not giving them a hug or any kind of acknowledgment, then asking him to hold the award felt weird.’

Another person claimed: ‘She didn’t acknowledge or greet them but want them to hold the trophy like they work for her lol,’ while someone else added: ‘She’s feeling herself a lil too much!’

During her acceptance speech, Tyla said of her hit song: ‘The global impact that Water has had on the world just proves that African music can be pop music too.

‘This is just so special, but also bittersweet because I know there’s a tendency to group all African artists under Afrobeats,’ she continued.

Elsewhere in the interview she broke her silence about being criticised for her actions at the MTV Music Video Awards last year 

She was lambasted online after handing her trophy to Lil Nas X, because it was too heavy while on the stage accepting the award 

‘It’s a thing, and 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.’

She then spoke about how she specifically makes Amapiano music, or a South African genre that fuses house, jazz, and the ’90s-originated sound known as kwaito.

‘I come from South Africa. I represent Amapiano, I represent my culture,’ Tyla said, before praising some of her peers and others nominated in the Afrobeats category, adding: ‘Africa to the world!’

See the full feature in the March issue of British Vogue, available via digital download and on newsstands from Tuesday February 25.