Tyla has addressed the backlash after her X account reposted a Pitchfork review of her album A*Pop that suggested she was stepping into Rihanna's lane. Here's the full timeline.
(File photo): Tyla performs on NBC’s “Today” at Rockefeller Plaza on July 24, 2026 in New York City. Picture: John Nacion via Getty Images
Tyla is once again at the centre of a social media storm involving Rihanna – and this time, she’s not staying quiet.
The drama kicked off on 11 August 2026, when Pitchfork published a review of Tyla’s album that read: “Rihanna’s long hiatus from music has left space for a sexy, infectious, fun new voice – Tyla seems ready to occupy this lane.”
The review was posted to Pitchfork’s X account, Tyla’s own X account reposted it the following day before later undoing the repost – a move that immediately raised eyebrows given the history between the two artists.
Bad timing
The repost came just days after Tyla’s album A*POP tapered off the Billboard 200 after only a single week on the chart. Critics were quick to point this out, using it to paint Tyla as an artist reaching for relevance by association rather than on her own merit.
Further online commentary stepped the scrutiny up a notch, mocking her catalogue as a “one-hit wonder” body of work built almost entirely around her breakout single, Water.
Deny, deny, deny
Facing mounting criticism, Tyla addressed the backlash on Instagram Stories without ever naming Rihanna directly. “Ya’ll know that’s not me,” she wrote, going on to accuse critics of piling on over a repost while ignoring where the comparison actually originated.
As with previous controversies, Tyla and her camp maintain that her X account had been compromised.
A familiar pattern
This isn’t the first time Tyla’s X account has stirred controversy that she’s since attributed to a hack or mistake:
In December 2025, her account reposted a harsh message telling Nicki Minaj to delete social media and questioning her mental state. The post was deleted, and Tyla responded on Instagram with captions hinting at a hack, alongside Nicki Minaj’s Your Love playing in the background.
In May, following the 2026 Met Gala, a viral clip showed Tyla appearing hesitant near Rihanna on the carpet.
The South African star later explained she’d approached Rihanna the previous year but held back this time, saying Rihanna had been occupied and that she didn’t want to interrupt – while insisting she loves Rihanna. Fans speculated about a snub regardless, and a fake AI-generated apology video from Rihanna also circulated during the same news cycle.
Tyla has battled “new Rihanna” comparisons since early in her career, and has generally tried to distance herself from the framing.
At the time of writing, Rihanna had not made any public statement, post, or comment addressing the Pitchfork review, the repost, or the backlash that followed.
