Tyla Defeats Davido, Burna Boy, Others To Win ‘Outstanding International Song’

South African music sensation Tyla has once again asserted her dominance on the global stage after clinching the ‘Outstanding International Song’ category at the 2026 NAACP Image Awards.

The annual ceremony, organized by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), honors excellence among people of color in film, television, music, and literature.

Tyla’s latest victory comes as a major blow to the Nigerian music industry, as she edged out a competitive field of “Afrobeats royalty.” The South African singer rose above Nigerian heavyweights including Burna Boy (nominated for “Love”), Davido (nominated for “With You” featuring Omah Lay), and Tiwa Savage (nominated for “You4Me”).

Jamaican artiste Skip Marley was also a contender in the category for his song “In Our Sight.”

The win reinforces Tyla’s status as a formidable force in African music, following her recent triumph at the 2026 Grammy Awards. At the Grammys, she famously secured the ‘Best African Music Performance’ award, defeating a star-studded list that included Davido, Wizkid, Ayra Starr, and Ugandan singer Eddy Kenzo.

The singer’s track record of outshining Nigerian artistes began in 2024 when she secured her first-ever Grammy, a breakthrough that signaled a shift in the continental music power balance.

However, the win has sparked mixed reactions on social media. While fans of the singer celebrated the “Queen,” others pointed to the ongoing rivalry between South African and Nigerian music supporters. One user, @Tyla_Grandma, took a swipe at Nigerian fans, stating, “I laughed when the so-called Giants of Africa claimed they don’t know this award… whenever their own don’t win they go into spasms.”

Amidst the celebration, some controversy persists regarding Tyla’s racial identity and her use of the term “coloured”—a common designation in South Africa that carries different historical sensitivities in the United States.

Recall that Tyla recently made headlines after reportedly rejecting an apology from Tiwa Savage, who had attempted to “forgive” the South African singer on her behalf during an interview on The Breakfast Club. Savage had claimed she was speaking as an “elder” in African culture, a move that sparked significant debate among fans of both artistes.

With this latest NAACP win, Tyla’s “Unstoppable” run in 2026 continues to fuel the healthy, yet fierce, competition between the Amapiano and Afrobeats genres.