Rihanna shares Ayra Starr’s “Who’s That Girl?” for her Met Gala recap video and fans believe that is shade directed at Tyla, who spoke out about Rih at the event [VIDEO]
Rihanna’s montage featured “Who’s Dat Girl?” by Ayra Starr, reigniting fan rivalry over who Rihanna supports.
Rihanna posted a Met Gala recap video on May 7, captioned simply “met recap ✨🎥.” The 45-second montage showed her preparation, red carpet arrival, and moments with A$AP Rocky. It amassed over 20 million views and 315,000 likes within hours. The backlash was not about her look. It was about the background music.
The video featured Ayra Starr’s “Who’s Dat Girl?” featuring Rema, an Afrobeats hit that kicked in prominently around the 15-second mark. The lyrics — “Who’s dat girl?” — paired with Rihanna’s glamorous visuals led fans to interpret the song choice as deliberate shade toward Tyla. The South African singer had recently gone viral for describing a previous Met Gala interaction with Rihanna as awkward.
Tyla said Rihanna took a call from A$AP Rocky while she was trying to speak to her.
What Rihanna’s Met Gala Video Actually Shows
The video opens with Rihanna in a car, speaking directly to the camera. “We’re going to the Met,” she says. “They are very talented, they are brilliant and have enormous amount of style.” She wears a custom Maison Margiela gown — dark metallic fabric, jeweled, with massive shoulder extensions and a headpiece. Her tattoos are visible. Her rings are enormous.
Quick cuts follow: Rihanna walking the red carpet, her gown flowing dramatically behind her. A clip of her applying mascara in a robe. Jewelry being placed on her hands by a stylist. Voiceover snippets play throughout: “Are you gonna haunt me?” and “Who’s allowed show up late for a Met Gala red carpet?”
The Ayra Starr track becomes fully audible around the 15-second mark. The song’s title — “Who’s Dat Girl?” — loops as Rihanna poses, smiles, and interacts with A$AP Rocky. The video ends with Rihanna receiving compliments: “You’re so pretty, oh my god!” Her expression is unbothered. The song choice is the only external element. To fans watching closely, it was everything.
The Rivalry Between Tyla and Ayra Starr
The tension between Tyla and Ayra Starr is not new. Since 2024, fans have pitted the two against each other as rivals for the title of “Africa’s next pop princess.” Tyla, South African, rose quickly with amapiano and Afrobeats-pop. Ayra Starr, Nigerian, has been a consistent force in the same genre. Their fan bases clash regularly.
A major flashpoint occurred when Tyla announced an upcoming project titled APOP. Ayra Starr had tweeted about “A-Pop” as a concept back in 2021. Tyla denied copying, but the debate raged online. Neither artist has publicly feuded. They have appeared friendly in clips. Their fans have not.
Tyla has also long considered Rihanna her idol. In a 2023 interview with Trevor Noah, she said she believed she could one day be “bigger than Rihanna.” Some interpreted the comment as ambitious. Others found it disrespectful. Tyla has posted about wanting Rihanna’s validation, cried on livestreams about only receiving passing hellos, and tried approaching her multiple times at events.
Rihanna’s History With Ayra Starr
Rihanna and Ayra Starr have a documented friendship. In 2024, Ayra joined Rihanna and her crew at the Barbados Crop Over festival. They partied together, danced on trucks, and wore matching custom bedazzled outfits. Rihanna has shouted out Ayra’s talent and style publicly. No equivalent warmth exists with Tyla.
The timing of the recap video amplified its impact. A few days ago, Tyla had gone viral for explaining a brief 2026 Met Gala interaction with Rihanna. Tyla said she approached to say hello, and Rihanna responded with a quick “hey” before excusing herself because “my baby daddy’s calling me.” Tyla emphasized that Rihanna seemed “occupied” and “busy,” not rude. The internet interpreted the story differently.
Rihanna’s recap video did not mention Tyla. It did not mention Ayra. It simply used a song by an artist she has partied with. The lyrics — “Who’s dat girl?” — could have been random. Fans decided they were not. The post was viewed over 20 million times. Ayra Starr’s monthly listeners jumped from approximately 16 million to 29 million in less than 24 hours.
Fans React to the Perceived Shade: Ayra Starr’s Fans on one Side, Tyla’s Fans on the Other
The replies under Rihanna’s post exploded within hours. One user wrote, “no way she used ‘who’s that girl’ by ayra starr… nah, rihanna is messy 😭🤣” with over 13,000 likes. Another commented, “You just ended the tyla & Ayra debate.” A third posted, “Rihanna said everything while saying nothing.” Fans noted the song’s title as the key. “She’s used ayra starrr’s song 😭😭 She’s petty, I love that,” one reply read. Others called it “top tier” and “legendary aux control.”
Ayra Starr’s monthly listeners jumped from approximately 16 million to 29 million in less than 24 hours. Fans celebrated the boost as validation. “Ayra starr monthly listeners has increased… after Rihanna used her song,” one user posted. Nigerian and Afrobeats fans dominated the celebration, framing the moment as “real recognize real.”
Tyla fans pushed back. One South African account wrote, “Oksalayo you’ll never be Tyla. She’s a million times better.” Others accused Rihanna of “damage control.” Rumors swirled that Tyla unfollowed Rihanna on Instagram after the post. Some Tyla supporters called the reaction overblown, with one writing, “Tyla’s fandom thinks the whole world is against her.”
Not all replies were tribal. Some users stayed neutral: “love the song choice. you got tassste.” Others posted GIFs and memes comparing the moment to past Rihanna pettiness. A few cautioned against reading too much into it: “Let the kids eat too mahn; do not get sucked into a nonexistent beef.” The post had over 20 million views. The comments kept coming. Rihanna did not reply to any of them. She did not need to.
What Comes Next for Tyla, Ayra Starr, and Rihanna
Tyla has not publicly responded to the speculation. Her last public statement about Rihanna was the video in which she described the interaction as awkward. However, she also said it was not malicious. She has not addressed the song choice. Pointedly, she has not confirmed whether she unfollowed Rihanna on Instagram. The rumor circulated, but neither party has confirmed it.
Ayra Starr has also remained silent. She has not commented on the song placement. She has not addressed the fan war. Her streaming numbers have increased dramatically. That is the only statement she has made. Actions speak louder than words. Streams speak louder than posts.
Rihanna has moved on, first by posting the recap. She let the song play. She has not addressed the backlash. The video has over 20 million views. The comments are still coming. The debate is still raging. Rihanna is still unbothered. That is her brand. That is why it works.
Conclusion: The Soundtrack to a Silent Feud
Rihanna posted her Met Gala recap. The video was standard. The song choice was not. “Who’s Dat Girl?” by Ayra Starr played over glamorous shots, and the internet decided Rihanna had picked a side. Days earlier, Tyla had described an awkward exchange with Rihanna at the same event. The caption on that post called Rihanna “weird.” The internet ran with it.
Rihanna never confirmed the shade. She never denied it. She let the song speak. Ayra Starr’s streams jumped. Tyla’s mentions flooded. The feud between their fans will continue. The artists themselves have never directly fought. They do not need to. The fans fight for them. Rihanna knows this. She has been the subject of this dynamic for two decades.
On May 7, she became its orchestrator. The question — “Who’s dat girl?” — remains unanswered.
That is not an accident. That is the point.