A planned stop in Lagos has been removed from South African singer Tyla's upcoming world tour, days after the Grammy-winning artist unveiled her international concert schedule. The change comes as pressure builds in Nigeria, where campaigners have urged the singer to stay away over growing anger linked to anti-migrant sentiment in South Africa.
Tyla announced the dates for her world tour on Monday following the release of her second album, APOP*. The schedule first published on her official website featured 34 cities across different countries, with Lagos listed alongside Johannesburg and Cape Town.
By Friday, however, the Nigerian city was no longer part of the updated itinerary.
Neither Tyla nor her team has explained why Lagos was removed from the schedule. The development follows growing calls in Nigeria for the 24-year-old performer to cancel any appearance in the country as criticism over the treatment of foreign nationals in South Africa continues to grow.
For years, relations between Nigeria and South Africa have been affected by accusations that Nigerians have repeatedly been targeted during outbreaks of xenophobic violence.
Nigeria, together with several other African countries, has maintained that South Africa has not done enough to stop attacks on foreign nationals.
The latest tensions have also been driven by demonstrations calling for undocumented migrants to leave South Africa. The protests have seen tens of thousands of foreign nationals leave the country, including many Nigerians who returned home on specially arranged repatriation flights.
Although both governments have continued diplomatic engagement, including a recent meeting between foreign affairs officials in Abuja, the fallout has increasingly reached the entertainment industry.
On Wednesday, campaigners in Nigeria launched an online petition titled "Ban Tyla from entering Nigeria until xenophobic attacks stop in South Africa."
The petition quickly gathered thousands of signatures, reflecting growing frustration among some Nigerians over what they see as silence from South African celebrities.
The reaction was also visible on Tyla's social media pages, where many Nigerians warned against any performance in the country while questioning why the singer had not publicly addressed the protests in South Africa.
Tyla has not responded to a BBC request for comment.
She is not the only South African public figure facing criticism.
Comedian Trevor Noah also attracted backlash after appearing in a tourism campaign for the Tourism Business Council of South Africa.
The promotional video drew widespread criticism online, with many social media users accusing Noah of promoting South Africa while failing to condemn xenophobic attitudes.
Some users even attached notes to the video describing South Africa as "a xenophobic country [that] doesn't allow visiting migrants".
The growing criticism has reportedly affected the wider entertainment industry, with some South African performers said to have lost bookings in other African countries.
South Africa's Justice Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi revealed in June that one local artist had informed her that "all her gigs were cancelled", although she did not identify the performer.
"So the [South Africa] brand does get affected," she said at the time.
South African authorities have defended their response, saying anyone found breaking the law during the protests has been dealt with accordingly.
The government has also pointed to the arrest of more than 900 people following the demonstrations while insisting that South Africa has the right to manage migration into the country.
The debate surrounding Tyla has also sparked wider discussion over whether musicians should be expected to take public positions on political disputes involving their countries.
Nigerian activist, opposition politician and former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore argued that the blame should remain with political leaders rather than entertainers.
He wrote on X: "No-one should hold a talented musician like Tyla vicariously liable for the crimes of xenophobia. Artistes are not responsible for the failures of politicians except where there is ample evidence they're enablers."
Nigerian culture journalist Mayowa Idowu said many people were looking for accountability beyond governments, but warned that artists risk becoming unfair targets.
"I think they are well intentioned because people are seeking accountability and they're looking beyond governments who they do not trust or have faith in. That said, I think they are misguided and they risk devolving into acts of hypocrisy. The artist in question has worked with Nigerian artists and performed in Nigeria previously," he said.
According to Idowu, musicians should not be forced into political debates simply because they share the nationality of those in power.
The latest controversy is another chapter in Tyla's long-running connection to the rivalry between Nigerian and South African music fans.
Earlier this year, she won her second Grammy Award in the Best African Music Performance category after beating four other African nominees, including three from Nigeria.
She also claimed the first-ever award in the category in 2024, finishing ahead of fellow nominees that included Nigerian stars Burna Boy and Davido.
Those victories have helped establish Tyla as one of Africa's leading international artists while also placing her at the centre of fan debates between Africa's two biggest music markets.
UK-based Nigerian culture journalist and writer Dami Ajayi believes Tyla herself has never portrayed an anti-Nigerian image but says many fans have linked her Grammy victories to the rivalry between the two countries.
"We interpret her winning two Grammy Awards in a nominations list full of Nigerian musicians as being anti-Nigerian," he said.
Ajayi added: "These targeted retaliatory campaigns are not particularly new. There were also calls to boycott the recent hit Netflix show The Polygamist, adapted from Zimbabwean Sue Nyathi's novel and co-directed by Akin Omotosho, a Nigerian living in South Africa."
South African journalist Thango Ntwasa said it was difficult to draw conclusions about why Lagos had disappeared from the tour but observed that politics and entertainment are becoming increasingly intertwined.
"It's a very interesting time because we're seeing arts and politics... really confronting each other now more than ever," he said.
Ntwasa also said that although many celebrities choose not to engage in political debates, public figures cannot ignore the influence they hold.
He said it was important for "celebrities... to understand that as a public figure, your opinion or position on a political issue does matter".
He added that several South African artists had already reported facing hostility while travelling elsewhere in Africa and warned that such tensions could eventually affect touring opportunities across the continent.