Hold up, fashion police! Because Tyla isn’t here for the narrative that, she’s copying Britney Spears. The Grammy winner just shut down claims the pop princess inspired her head-turning Coachella outfit.
Tyla stepped onto the Coachella stage looking absolutely fire, but the internet couldn’t help but notice some striking similarities to Britney Spears’s iconic look.
We’re talking Britney Spears’ legendary “I’m a Slave 4 U” performance outfit from the 2001 MTV VMAs! But guess what? Tyla is setting the record straight with a breezy “Nah, not really!”
On Friday, April 18, the 23-year-old “Push 2 Start” singer took over the Outdoor Theatre stage in Indio, California, for weekend two of the festival. The moment she stepped out in a floral balconette bra, denim shorts decked out with crystals and fringe, and a silver body chain dripping in Y2K energy.
And fans had one word on their minds: Britney.
Specifically, Britney Spears at the 2001 MTV VMAs. The one “I’m a Slave 4 U” snake moment, maximalist chaos, peak pop culture. Tyla’s look, complete with wavy extensions and vibrant pink eyeshadow, gave many major déjà vu.
Although Tyla didn’t share the stage with a big yellow python like Britney, she incorporated a bit of nature into her outfit by wearing zebra-print booties, which she later exchanged for knee-high boots with a crocodile skin design.
Naturally, the comparisons flooded social media. One fan even posted a side-by-side tweet on April 20, confidently claiming Tyla’s Coachella outfit was “inspired by the icon Britney Spears.” It didn’t take long for Tyla herself to jump into the convo, and she didn’t hold back.
“Love her, but I just thought the outfit was fly… no inspo,” she clapped back in a quote tweet. Oop!
That one-liner was enough to spark a wave of backlash. Some users accused her of brushing off Britney’s influence. Others argued that credit should still be given even if it was unintentional. And then there were the die-hard Tyla stans, defending her originality and reminding the internet that Y2K fashion doesn’t belong to one person.
So, was it homage or coincidence? You decide.
