Fans of Nigeria and South Africa have upped the banter ahead of their semi-final clash in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON 2024) following Tyla’s Grammy victory.
The 22-year-old South African singer, born as Tyla Laura Seethal, beat off competition from some of Nigeria’s best Afrobeat artistes to win the Best African Music Performance category with her song ‘Water’.
Tyla’s hit single ‘Water’ was one of the biggest songs released last year and peaked at number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in January.
Tyler wins Grammy over Davido, Burna Boy
The singer was nominated for Best African Music Performance alongside ASAKE & Olamide, Burna Boy, Davido and Ayra Starr.
However, she came up top against all the aforementioned musicians after impressing the Grammy voters and the Academy.
Speaking after her big victory, Tyla revelled in the moment, saying she never envisaged winning a Grammy at the age of 22.
“I never thought I'd say I won a Grammy at 22 years old. Thank you to the Recording Academy for this category. It's so important,” she said.
Tyler’s Grammy win deepens Super Eagles vs Bafana rivalry
While the Grammy has no correlation with football, Tyla’s win over the Nigerian stars has deepened the rivalry between Nigeria and South Africa.
The Super Eagles will face Bafana Bafana in the semi-final of the tournament on Wednesday, February 7 at the Peace Stadium of Bouake.
The Super Eagles defeated Angola 1-0 in the quarter-final, courtesy of a first-half strike from Ademola Lookman to book their place in the last four, while Bafana Bafana also had to overcome Cape Verde via a penalty shootout, where goalkeeper Ronwen Williams produced four penalty saves.
The two countries have a long-standing rivalry in both music and football and Tyla’s Grammy win against some of Nigeria’s top artistes has only further heightened the stakes ahead of Wednesday’s semi-final clash, especially on social media.
