I am opinionated and blunt, I don't think I'm mean - Tyla addresses "mean girl" allegations

Answering questions on whether she considers herself a mean person, Grammy-winning singer Tyla joked that perhaps she was mean before adding that while she might be opinionated and blunt on the outside, she likes to consider herself a kind person.

The South African star, who recently released her sophomore album 'A*POP', added that she's from a place where the people are expressive and aren't scared to say what they feel. She shared that although being a pop star demands that she be a "good girl," she just wants to be honest and free.

"Hmm, maybe I am. No, I'm joking, I'm joking, I'm joking. I mean, I don't know, you know? I don't know if I'm mean. I like to think that I'm kind, you know? I really am opinionated and blunt. Like, where I'm from, like the way we are, we just talk. Like, things aren't that serious. We don't know how to watch our words, like, 'This is not the time, this is not the place.' Like, we're not that dramatic. We're human, guys, relax. Like, we can all talk. You know, so I feel like I just try to be honest about how I feel about things, you know? Um, yeah, but it's hard, you know? As a pop star you got to be a good girl. You know?"

She added that while her team often try to get her to get her to not post some things, she insists that she refuses to be shackled and wants to live like a normal 24-year-old.

"I mean, I don't. But my managers, they always try to like shackle me. They're like, 'Tyla, put your phone down. Stop making videos, stop talking.' And I should probably listen to them. But I don't know. I just think it's more interesting, you know? I still want to be a 24-year-old girl, you know? I don't want being a pop star to stop my life and make me feel like now I'm in jail and I have to let things slide and all those things."

Speaking on the inspiration behind her new album 'A*POP,' Tyla said the title means "African Pop" and attempts to showcase what it means to be an African pop star on the global stage and break the stereotypes.

"A*POP, African Pop. You know, A*POP is literally me trying to extend the idea of what an African pop star looks like, what an African pop star sounds like, you know. I think that sometimes when you're from somewhere, you're expected to look a way or sound a way."

The two-time Grammy winner added that she has received comments from people who think she's not African enough. She considers such comments to be backwards and decided to use her album to correct such narratives.

"I've seen things where they're like, 'Oh, Tyla's not African enough,' and I'm like, what is African enough? You know? Like, I think it's a very frozen... like, it just feels like we've frozen in time with that type of ideology. But I really feel like now that I'm on my second album, I'm really excited to show how just diverse I am and how I grew up around so many different influences, and I really want to show that and share that. And with A*POP, it's really just that, like, I bring the A to pop."

The album released on Friday, July 24, 2026, is already off to a great start thanks to the performance of the pre-released single 'Chanel', which has garnered over 380 million Spotify streams. Her new album has 14 tracks with guest appearances from South African House Music duo Liquideep, Swedish popstar Zara Larsson, and South African stars Mahwoo and Babalwa M.

'A*POP' is expected to continue Tyla's global rise, which saw another milestone with her performance at the opening ceremony of the just-concluded 2026 FIFA World Cup.