By Chinazam Ikechi-Uko.
Fashion is like poison, a word closely associated with women yet is a male-dominated field. Poison is calculating and patient, you imagine the final result a thousand times before you execute it, almost laying out an outfit on your bed the night before a big day.
One’s knowledge of poison is influenced by external factors such as culture and environment; Nigerians never swallow cotton balls to stay skinny like their European counterparts, but they have tailors take out inches from native dresses to create an hourglass owambe look. The meticulousness of both makes them appear unnecessary and silly. Why take up botany and cooking in an attempt to kill a man when you could stab him?
But the result is where the difference lies, poison tells a story, a larger picture, whoever did it, did it intentionally, they are aware of the consequences yet carried out the act. The misunderstanding is also prevalent in fashion, style– a distinctive appearance– is often conflated with the wearing of clothes. Dressing baggy is a staple in most social scenes but baggy clothes paired in a specific way with colours were once a staple of Billie Eilish.
So the theft of one’s style is a symptom of a larger picture, whoever did it, did it intentionally, you are on their mood board, stalking, they are aware of the consequences yet carried out the act. A theft of intellectual property, an identity theft, and in a world of social media, not many crimes rank higher than this.
A case has been brought before the internet, one between Grammy recognised African acts – Ayra Starr (Nigerian) and Tyla (South African).
THE ACCUSATIONS:
On the 5th of February 2024 at 2 am (WAT), the 66th Annual Grammy Awards was hosted. This year was big because, after years of petitioning, the award ceremony finally caved in and created a segment that recognises Afrobeats.
But it was not the Best Afrobeats award as the people had demanded, it was Best African Music Performance meaning anything that classified as African Music could be nominated. So when the musical juggernaut that was Water by Tyla emerged as the winner of the category, it came as a surprise to no one… or so the Grammys thought.
Tyla had beat out Nigerian stars such as Ayra Starr, Davido, Asake, and Burna Boy. While Water did set the zeitgeist for the modern TikTok dances and charted on the Billboard Hot 100, many thought she was undeserving of the award. This resentment led to the discrediting of Tyla.
It is rather convenient that the claims started when Water began blowing up, with the first few allegations being in October 2023. Starr was on the African leg of her world tour, this was a pivotal moment in both women’s careers. The comparison gained momentum shortly after February 5th.
Now, you can not praise one without someone in the comments introducing the other into the conversation.
X user: Kira Won’t Miss praising Ayra Starr, check comments.
BEFORE OCTOBER 2023
Before hit songs and Grammys, Ayra Starr and Tyla’s public personas have intersected because of their similarities. Tyla debuted in 2019 with “Getting Late” (featuring Kooldrink) which was successful in South Africa. A few years later, in January of 2021, Ayra Starr debuted with “Away”.
It is hard not to see a tale of friendship between two African girls of the same age, with similar body types, in the same industry, and a history of rumours of dating Afrobeats singer, Rema– plus they both love to dance. Like Kismet, Starr and Tyla frequently interacted on social media, with Tyla being one of the first people to make a video with Starr’s verse on Overdosing. Starr matched the energy when Tyla dropped Water, even before the dance was taking off.
The internet saw this interaction as cute, especially since they had dropped a song in May of 2023. The song charted at number 35 on the US Afrobeats songs. There were no copycat accusations. So let’s investigate the crime scene, expose who did it and when it began.
TYLA VS AYRA STARR: STYLE ANALYSIS.
To the dismay of traditional fashion enthusiasts, TikTok often boxes styles into cores or aesthetics. However, this is a useful way to simplify a person’s style in an attempt to explain the difference— a flattening of their fashion. So for this exercise, let’s imagine Tyla and Starr as cores.
What would a mood board of Tyla’s core look like? Cornrows, the colour brown, cut-outs, and ripped everything. This styling is intentional and although reminiscent of the 80s deconstructivism style (read more for a full Tyla style breakdown), Tyla explained how she and her stylist began as a fun experiment. “The way I fell into this look because Thato and I had to make shift interesting outfits out of whatever we had… so the ripped clothing, things tied around my waist etc (Flinstone look) started there and now, I cannot let it go just as yet… Srry not Srry Xx”
On the other hand, what are the first set of things that come to mind if you were building an Ayra Starr aesthetic? Boots, blonde hair, and mini skirt will make the list but it might not be easy to nail it down to just one thing. This is because Starr has an eclectic style, taking on several trends and personalising them. She is not afraid to change the colour of her hair, bring back the Union Jack look, wear a skirt full of watches, or wear a metallic thigh-length boot. Remember the time she took on the Astro boots trend or the Aliyah Core? “[Her style is] like her music — fierce, opinionated, young, category-defying and superfluid,” Pat Ada Eze, her stylist told OkayAfrica.
Neither have changed their approach to fashion, the only evidence the prosecutors have is, “they both wear mini skirts.” But so does the average young woman who has lived since the early 1900s.
TYLA VS AYRA STARR: DANCE ANALYSIS.
Waist dances are popular in cultures around the world; from the belly dancers of North Africa and the Middle East to the Tahitian Dance of the Polynesia islands. Tyla and Starr are part of the long list of women whose cultures also incorporate waist dances. Both Tyla have videos showcasing their talents before their rise to fame. Starr posted a cute clip of her dancing as a kid, while Tyla’s old TikToks showed off her skills.
Like their styles, their dances are reminiscent of their upbringing. Tyla often uses her performances to highlight South African dances such as the now viral Bacardi and Betha Kick. Starr prefers waist whines, belly dancing and twerks.
The accusers say that Starr has been incorporating Bacardi into her routines lately. However, Bacardi and twerking are often mixed up. When Tyla hit the global scene, many assumed she was twerking until South Africans clarified. The dances Starr does are identical to the ones she did as a child. Now, it is tagged as Bacardi but there is evidence that she has been doing that dance for years.
TYLA VS AYRA STARR: SOUND AND ATTITUDE ANALYSIS:
The last accusation is that Tyla copied Starr’s mannerisms and according to the South Africans, it is the other way around. This is the only accusation that is completely deficit of a foundation. Neither Tyla nor Starr, walk, stand, talk or sing similarly. The only evidence of these claims are the tweets which never expantiate on what they mean.
WHODUNIT:
Ayra Starr and Tyla are no strangers to copying allegations. Before society discovered the similarities between them, Starr was burdened with Tems copycat allegations. “Is it just me or does Ayra Starr sound like Tems? I like Sare though. Nice!” X user. Another said, “But shey it’s fake love we’re showing Ayra Starr? Cos her songs aren’t that special, just copied sounds & Mavins. Whatever she’s doing we already got Tems who’s doing great.”
Tyla has faced copycat allegations since her meteoric rise to fame, a Rihanna copy, as Rihanna is another woman on the list of women with cultural waist dances.
However, in terms of style, there is no copy because they do not dress alike. On grounds of dance, waist dances are typical in African social scenes and neither have invented a dance that was not popular in the clubs of their home countries. As for the attitude allegations, the antsy accusers need to provide more than word of mouth.
With the clues available, it is neither Starr nor Tyla who copied the other, however, people are instigating a competition in light of their recent successes.
