South African pop star Tyla has removed the Nigeria stop from her upcoming APOP World Tour, days after announcing Lagos as one of only two African cities on the tour.
Earlier this week, the Grammy-winning singer unveiled the dates for her global tour in support of her second studio album, APOP. The tour originally included performances in Lagos, Nigeria, on 22 December and South Africa in January 2027. However, the Lagos date has since been removed from Tyla’s official tour website, where tickets are sold. No official reason has been provided for the change.
The development comes amid calls by Nigerian content creator Solomon Buchi for Nigerians to boycott Tyla’s planned performance. Buchi urged Nigerians to “come together and stand for something” amid ongoing anti-illegal immigration protests in South Africa.
He criticised the singer for not publicly commenting on allegations of xenophobic attacks against African migrants in South Africa.
“Not after the xenophobia attacks that we saw in South Africa and how immigrants, especially Nigerian immigrants, were treated. Not one word from Tyla,” he said.
South Africa has seen renewed anti-illegal immigration demonstrations in recent months, with some groups calling for stricter immigration enforcement and the removal of undocumented migrants. While organisers have described the protests as being directed at illegal immigration, critics have warned that some demonstrations have fuelled anti-immigrant sentiment and raised concerns about the safety of foreign nationals.
A petition calling for Tyla to be barred from performing in Nigeria has also been launched, attracting more than 3,000 signatures.
Petition organiser Shakirah Alaga described xenophobia as a longstanding problem in South Africa that has disproportionately affected migrants from other African countries.
“Tyla, a popular South African artist, has a significant following in Nigeria. By imposing a ban on Tyla’s entry into Nigeria until concrete measures are taken by South Africa to stop xenophobic attacks, we can send a strong message urging change.
“This action is not against Tyla personally, but serves as a symbolic gesture to push for systemic reforms in South Africa and to strengthen efforts towards African unity and peace,” she said.
Alaga also encouraged supporters to back the campaign until, she said, South Africa demonstrates stronger efforts to address xenophobia.
At the time of publication, Tyla and her management had not publicly commented on the removal of the Lagos concert from the tour schedule or on the calls for a boycott.
