Tyla Responds to Online Backlash After Asking Halle Bailey and Lil Nas X to Hold Her MTV VMA

Mar. 15, 2025

Tyla.Photo:Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty

Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty

Michael Loccisano/Getty

“Oh my gosh,” the “Truth or Dare” artist said during the viral moment as Lil Nas X handed her the moon man. “You guys know me and holding awards. Yo, I cannot — I’m not strong enough.”

“Please, please,” she added, holding her moon man out to them as Lil Nas X hesitantly stepped up to temporarily take the award so Tyla could give her acceptance speech. A smiling Bailey, however, did not budge.

Tyla later used social media to clarify the situation, saying that she never asked the movie star to hold her award.

“Y’all make everything weird…,” the Johannesburg native wrote in a post onX(formerly known as Twitter) that evening following the event. “I was not asking my girl Halle… We just girls, STFU I WON A VMAAAA.”

Tyla performs on stage during the 2024 BET Awards.MICHAEL TRAN/AFP via Getty

MICHAEL TRAN/AFP via Getty

In late June, Tyla took the stage at the2024 BET Awardsto perform one of her latest hits, “Jump,” featuring Gunna and Skillibeng.

The sultry single highlights her South African roots andher performance on Culture’s Biggest Nightmatched — complete with her starting in a cage filled with dancers painted as a giant tiger, a subtle nod to her dedicated fanbase, the Tygers.

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Stilt walkers also joined the set.

That evening, she took home wins for best new artist and best international act after receiving four nominations for the BET Awards.

Tyla attends The 2024 Met Gala.Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty

The young star also made her mark in the fashion world this year after making herMet Galadebut in May — with a manicure that was dripped with diamonds.

PEOPLE caught up with Tyla as she gave reporters a glimpse of her nail art at The Mark Hotel before she made her way to the exclusive event. The singer said she wasn’t concerned about whether or not her nails would make it hard for her to eat.

“It doesn’t matter,” she quickly replied. “It just looks cute!”

source: people.com