Tyla caused quite the uproar online after denying claims that her Coachella outfit was inspired by Britney Spears‘ iconic 2001 MTV VMAs look.
Her stylist Katie Qian said on Instagram Sunday (April 20), two days after Tyla’s Coachella performance, that she sourced “archive and custom Dolce Gabbana” for the star’s weekend two ensemble, including a vintage green floral balconette bra and denim shorts with green beaded fringe and silver safety pins. Fans were quick to point out its similarities to Spears’ outfit from the awards show, when she performed “I’m a Slave for U” while wearing a green cutout bra top and bejeweled butterfly print low-rise denim shorts — with a 7-foot albino Burmese python draped over her shoulders.
“Love her but I just thought the outfit was fly…no inspo,” Tyla replied to a since-deleted X post that compared photos of the two looks and claimed, “Tyla’s outfit for Coachella is inspired by the icon Britney Spears.”
When one person retorted, “I personally think she is a copycat and too full of herself,” the South African singer-songwriter fired back, “Personally I think you should stfu.”
The 23-year-old “Water” hitmaker is no stranger to rocking Y2K style and even paying homage to other pop stars during that era. Tyla channeled Aaliyah’s fierce fit from the 2000 MTV VMAs by wearing a teal fur-trimmed tiger-print Roberto Cavalli gown on the red carpet at the 2024 MTV EMAs, when she won best R&B, best Afrobeats and best African act. She also named both Aaliyah and Spears as influences during her 2025 Billboard Women in Music interview.
