Sam Smith and Lloyiso were trending throughout last week Wednesday after Lloyiso was omgekrap by a fan comparing him to the British singer, when responding to a tweet of his from Tuesday.
It all started when the fan tweeted: “@Lloyiso_rsa is like the African Sam Smith.”
After seemingly interpreting the comparison as a slight, the 24-year-old South African singer responded, “I’m gonna block you”.
I’m gonna block you 😕 https://t.co/s4gQS7uKrm
— Lloyiso (@Lloyiso_rsa) May 17, 2023
The tweep tried to clarify that he meant it as a compliment.
No sir,meant no disrespect,I meant ur genre and how good u https://t.co/FPbe8vyYef your music man📌📌
— K.O.H.N (@kohnthechairman) May 17, 2023
Another user responded with a screenshot of a tweet from 2019 in which Lloyiso had said: “I wanna be like Sam Smith.”
As the screenshot started to become widely shared, Lloyiso clarified what he had meant by that: “Like and a version of are 2 different things, it’s an inferiority complex to say ‘African version’ of any artist.
“I’m a big fan of Sam smith and ‘like’ him I want to be great! This mentality needs to stop.”
Like and a version of are 2 different things, it’s an inferiority complex to say “African version” of any artist . I’m a big fan of Sam smith and “like” him I want to be great! This mentality needs to stop.
— Lloyiso (@Lloyiso_rsa) May 17, 2023
Other fans then began to chime in as some said he was overreacting while others viewed the original post as a backhanded compliment.
One fan shared: “There’s no way ya’ll are angry that an artist wants to have their own identity. i.e who would wanna be known as the Black Celine Dion?”
dailyvoice@inl.co.za