By Seyi Balogun

Tyla, the South African Grammy-winning singer, is no more visiting Lagos for her scheduled APOP World Tour, after news of her planned December 22 concert in Nigeria triggered calls for a boycott over renewed xenophobic attacks against Nigerians in South Africa.

Tyla’s official tour website on Friday showed that the Lagos stop, which was previously listed for December 22, had been deleted from the itinerary.

However, all other previously announced dates across Europe, North America and South Africa, remain.

Tyla had unveiled the APOP World Tour, with Lagos listed as the only Nigerian stop before the tour concluded with performances in Cape Town on January 4 and Johannesburg on January 9.

The announcement sparked mixed reactions on social media, though. While some Nigerians urged a boycott of the concert in protest against the xenophobic attacks on Nigerians in South Africa, others didn’t justify the boycott.

Some social media enthusiasts argued that no South African artiste should perform in Nigeria while reports of attacks on Nigerians continued, while others maintained that musicians should not be held responsible for political or social issues.

The controversy deepened on Thursday after activist Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, threatened to mobilise members of his “Ratel Movement” to stop the concert, if it went ahead.

In a post on his Facebook page, Otse wrote, “TYLA SHOW WILL NOT BE HAPPENING IN NIGERIA.

“This is a message to SOUTH AFRICANS. WE ARE AFRICANS AND WE DONT UNALIVE OUR OWN, since you people have taken it upon yourselves to unalive other Africans because according to you guys other African nationalities living in South Africa are taking your jobs.

“WE ARE STANDING IN SOLIDARITY TO SAY NO TO THE PROMOTERS AND CELEBRITIES FROM SOUTH AFRICA WHO HAVE REFUSED TO SPEAK UP AGAINST THESE ATTACKS ON OTHER AFRICANS LIVING IN SOUTH AFRICA.

Earlier, the 2027 presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, Omoyele Sowore, opposed the boycott campaign, saying Nigerians should not blame Tyla for xenophobic attacks.

“Nigerians should direct their anger at their real enemies… No one should hold a talented musician like @Tyllaaaaaaa vicariously liable for the crimes of xenophobia,” Sowore wrote on X, adding that “Tyla’s Lagos concert must go on.”

The removal of Lagos from the tour schedule comes amid renewed concerns over the treatment of Nigerians in South Africa following reports of alleged xenophobic attacks and the death of Nigerian nationals, including one Chika Ibe in Cape Town.

As of the time of filing this report, neither Tyla nor her management had publicly explained why the Lagos concert was struck off from the tour schedule.

No concert promoters have announced a cancellation or postponement of the show, officially.

By Michael Lim

Burna Boy, the Grammy Award,-winner Nigerian Afrobeat superstar, has become the first African artist to reach the Bill Board global 200 Top Spot.

The feat has been possible courtesy of the world cup anthem, “dai dai,” which he jointly produced with Shakira, the Colombian music sensation. The collaboration with Shakira, climbed to No. 1 after strong global streaming and sales

Dai Dai (FIFA World Cup Official Song 2026)” is the biggest song in the world, bounding two spots for its first week at No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200.

It also holds for a third week atop the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart. It’s the first official World Cup anthem to lead the lists, which began in 2020.

Burna Boy (born Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu on July 2, 1991) is a Grammy-winning Nigerian singer, songwriter, and record producer.

He hails from Port Harcourt, who has pioneered the musical genre “Afro-fusion”— blending Afrobeats, dancehall, and reggae.

His mother, Bose Ogulu, serves as his manager, while his grandfather previously managed Afrobeat legend, Fela Kuti.

He’s born into a creative family in Rivers State, with his earliest musical influences coming from his father, who loved reggae music, and his grandfather, Benson Idonije, a veteran broadcaster who managed the legendary Fela Kuti.

His mother was also a dancer for Kuti.Burna Boy started making beats on FL Studio at just 10 years old and later moved to the United Kingdom to study media technology at the University of Sussex and media communications at Oxford Brookes University.

However, he dropped out to pursue music full-time.

His rise to fsme started with his return to Nigeria and broke into the mainstream media industry in 2012 with his hit single “Like to Party,” which was featured on his debut album L.I.F.E. (2013).

He established his global presence after signing with Atlantic Records and releasing his third studio album, Outside (2018).He solidified his status as an international superstar with African Giant (2019) and Twice as Tall (2020), the latter of which won the Grammy Award for Best Global Music Album.

He is also the first African artist to headline and sell out stadium shows across the United States and Europe.