Sarah Geronimo‘s song and dance number of the TikTok hit “Water” got noticed by its singer, Tyla.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Tyla shared a video clip of Sarah’s song and dance cover of her single during the December 17 episode of ABS-CBN’s “ASAP Natin To”.
The Popstar Royalty’s “Water” cover has already gained traction online before the young artist noticed it.
“It’s so crazy seeing people perform my song with huge productions, costumes, [choreography], etc… what the heck,” Tyla posted.
It’s so crazy seeing people perform my song with huge productions, costumes, choreo etc etc… what the heck 🥴🤍 https://t.co/sbJno7WsMc
— Tyla (@Tyllaaaaaaa) December 17, 2023
Tyla’s reaction has since garnered 6,800 views on X so far.
Several Filipinos were proud of Sarah.
One of them was her husband Matteo Guidicelli who also reacted to Tyla’s post.
“That’s my wife,” Matteo said with a heart and a disco ball emojis.
That’s my wife ❤️🪩 https://t.co/VtSDFvEen6
— Matteo Guidicelli (@mateoguidicelli) December 17, 2023
Darren Espanto also cheered for Sarah.
“Baka Sarah G. yaaaan!” he said.
Sarah, who has a discography of hit songs to her name, is also known for performing local and international songs during live shows.
Some social media users, however, interpreted Tyla’s post differently. They thought that Tyla might not like Sarah’s version of “Water.” They accused the latter of copying and stealing the rising African star’s music.
“So you just over there in your country stealing other [people’s] songs and don’t even like [black people] you should be ashamed of this performance,” an Instagram user commented.
“NOT YOUR SONG SARAH G. @justsarahgph Be original next time and give credit to the original artist @tyla THEY CANT STAND US BLACKS BUT WILL STEAL FROM AND IMITATE US AT THE DROP OF A DIME!” another Instagram user said.
Several Filipinos on X, meanwhile, defended Sarah from these critics.
“That’s Sarah G and a singer/performer/actress of 20+ years. She usually performs songs that are trending here in the Philippines. That perf was shown by a big network. People here who think of money first are weird af. I for one only get to know about this song coz of this perf,” an X user said.
Others also challenged Tyla to perform Sarah’s hit songs or collaborate with the Filipino pop star.
“Some of the replies here are wild and ridiculous. Offensive na pala sa mga Kano na mag cover ng song with full production number. And reading the tweet again, parang di ata natutuwa si accla. SG can do ‘Water’ but Tyla can’t do ‘Forever’s Not Enough!’” a Pinoy on X reacted.
Tyla, a 21-year-old South African singer, released “Water” last July. It has since erupted into an internet sensation in dance challenges and as an audio format on TikTok.
Early this month, she released her debut album with her namesake.