The Johannesburg sun dipped low on a sticky summer evening in 2023, casting golden hues over a city buzzing with the kind of electric anticipation that only a breakout hit can summon. Tyla Laura Seethal, a 21-year-old with a voice like sun-warmed honey and moves that could melt ice, stepped into a studio for what would become her viral confessional. “Water,” her sultry amapiano-infused anthem, wasn’t just a song—it was a siren call, a TikTok tsunami that flooded feeds from Cape Town to California, racking up billions of views and catapulting her from local darling to global darling overnight. But amid the cheers and choreography challenges, Tyla dropped a line that would linger like a half-sung hook: “Rihanna’s my greatest idol. She came from outside America and made it massive—that made my dream feel possible.” It was a nod raw with reverence, a young artist tipping her crown to the queen who’d paved a path through uncharted waters. Little did she know, that echo might ripple back as a wave of whispers, turning inspiration into intrigue.

Fast-forward to October 2025, and Tyla’s not just riding the tide—she’s commanding it. Her self-titled debut album, a vibrant mosaic of Afro-fusion beats and heartfelt hooks, peaked at No. 24 on the Billboard 200, with “Water” earning her a historic Grammy for Best African Music Performance in February 2024, making her the first South African to snag the prize. She’s graced Vogue covers, strutted Paris Fashion Week, and packed arenas from Lagos to London, her “coloured” curls— a term she proudly owns from her mixed South African heritage—framing a face that’s equal parts fierce and approachable. Yet, in every glossy spread and late-night chat, Rihanna’s name dances on her lips like a mantra: the Bajan beauty who proved non-American Black women could shatter glass ceilings, blending R&B silk with island spice to build an empire worth billions. “She showed me it’s doable,” Tyla told Trevor Noah in a 2023 Interview Magazine sit-down, her eyes lighting up like stage lights. “Before Ri, I didn’t think outsiders could conquer this.”

But here’s the harmony hitting a sour note: Rihanna, the 37-year-old mogul who’s traded mic stands for maternity glow—welcoming son Riot Rose in August 2024 and teasing a third bundle amid Fenty’s fragrance frenzy—hasn’t breathed a word back. No Instagram story repost, no casual “slay, sis” comment, not even a whisper at the 2025 Met Gala where Tyla turned heads in a shimmering amapiano-inspired gown reminiscent of RiRi’s early red-carpet rebellion. It’s not outright beef—no leaked texts or Twitter tirades—but in the hyper-connected court of public opinion, silence screams. X erupts with speculation: “Ri feels copied,” one user vents, splicing clips of Tyla’s “Jump” video choreography against Rihanna’s “Crazy in Love” swagger. Another chimes in, “Tyla’s ‘Water’ thirst trap dances? Straight out of ‘Pon de Replay’ playbook. Icon or imitator?” The chatter crests when Tyla, in a bold Cosmopolitan cover story this spring, doubles down: “Rihanna’s Rihanna—flattering, but I’m Tyla. We’ll eclipse that soon.” Ambition or affront? The line blurs, and suddenly, admiration feels like an audition she’s bombing.

This isn’t Tyla’s first brush with the inspiration interrogation. Her ascent kicked off amid Beyoncé echoes—fans clocked “Push 2 Start” visuals nodding to “Partition” aesthetics, choreography channeling “Single Ladies” snap. The Beyhive buzzed, accusing her of selective shout-outs: Aaliyah over Queen Bey? Blasphemy. Tyla, unfazed, kept RiRi’s flag flying high, but the heat simmered until Beyoncé’s classic courtesy call—a bouquet of blue roses and a handwritten note: “Welcome to the sisterhood, keep shining.” It was vintage Bey: gracious, gatekeeping with grace, turning potential rivals into rising allies. Tyla gushed on X, “Dreams manifesting,” and the storm cleared like morning mist.

Janet Jackson followed suit, grooving to “Water” on her IG stories in late 2023 before weaving it into her tour setlist, a seamless sister-act seal of approval. SZA, ever the vibe curator, spilled in a September 2025 Zane Lowe chat: “Tyla’s infectious—let’s make the world move together. A remix? Cute.” Even Ciara, fresh off burying her 2011 Twitter hatchet with Rihanna at the 2025 Met Gala—where they posed bump-to-bump, all smiles and “bygones” on Sherri—has nodded Tyla’s way with quiet respect. These gestures? Warm welcomes in a genre where women’s paths often cross like cautious comets. But Rihanna’s reserve? It casts a longer shadow, especially given her own origin story.

Rewind to 2005: A 16-year-old Robyn Fenty lands in the U.S. from Barbados, signed by Jay-Z to Def Jam on the spot, her demo tape a cocktail of dancehall fire and R&B silk. “Pon de Replay” bumps her into the spotlight, but not without shade—early comparisons to Beyoncé irked the icon, who stayed publicly distant, offering private pearls like “Let loose, have fun” via handwritten notes but no red-carpet rub-offs. Tabloids twisted it into “sleeping with Jay” scandals, and RiRi’s response? She leaned in, tweeting barbs at Ciara in 2011 (“Good luck booking that stage”) before a swift “I love you, let’s makeup.” That Bad Gal edge built her brand—petty, protective, unapologetic. By 2009, she was eclipsing idols, her “Umbrella” reign a reminder: emulate, then elevate. Tyla’s trajectory traces that trail: Epic Records poached her at 19, “Water” her “Pon de Replay,” amapiano her dancehall. But where Ri got Bey’s backchannel blessings, Tyla’s getting crickets—and X is calling it karma’s cruel remix.

The rub deepens with selective spotlights. Rihanna’s been vocal about rising peers, gushing over Ayra Starr in a 2024 Barbados chat: “Obsessed—let’s link for a verse.” Ayra, the Nigerian phenom whose “Rush” rivals “Water” in Afrobeats fire, gets the glow-up, while Tyla’s fans fume over perceived slights—especially after Ayra’s crew shaded Tyla’s “global takeover” as hype over heart. “Rihanna’s picking sides in the Afrobeats arena,” one X user posits, splicing Ri’s Ayra praise against her Tyla void. Tyla’s camp stays classy, but the sting simmers: In a May 2025 Breakfast Club spot, she laughs off the “next Rihanna” tag, “It’s cute, but I’m building my wave—solo.” Yet fans aren’t laughing, flooding timelines with “RiHater” memes and “Free Tyla from the shadow” pleas.

Is it malice or maternity? Rihanna’s world in 2025 is a whirlwind: Fenty’s $500 million fragrance launch, A$AP Rocky’s OVO fest features, and rumors of R9 simmering since 2016. With two sons under three and a third on the horizon, her bandwidth’s baby-proofed—Met Gala no-shows, album teases traded for toddler tales. “She’s too empire-focused for egos,” a source close to her camp leaks to People, insisting Ri’s played Tyla tracks at private parties, a subtle sync without the spotlight. Tyla echoes the ease in a recent Variety chat: “Admiration doesn’t need applause. Ri opened doors—I’m kicking ’em wider.” But X ain’t buying the bliss: “If Bey sent flowers, why can’t Ri send a feature?” one viral thread demands, racking 50K likes.

This “feud”—more frost than fire—mirrors pop’s perennial push-pull: idols as ladders or roadblocks? Rihanna weathered Bey’s chill, emerging unbreakable; Tyla, with her unyielding “I’m Tyla, period” mantra, seems poised to do the same. Her Tyla Tour wraps in December 2025 with sold-out stops in 40 cities, “Truth or Dare” her latest single teasing a bolder, boundary-busting era. Fans rally with #TylaTakeover, but the ache lingers: In a sisterhood where lifts lift all, why leave one shining star starstruck? As Tyla told Cosmopolitan, “We’re doing what no one’s done—can’t compare that.” Perhaps that’s the real remix: not rivalry, but a relay race where the baton drops, and the runner still sprints to gold. In the end, Tyla’s not chasing RiRi’s crown—she’s forging her own, diamond by defiant diamond. And if silence is the sound of success, hers is deafening.