Instagram Amy Shark after winning Song of the Year for "I SAID HI."
Australian singer and songwriter Amy Shark has come under fire from fans after posting a video on TikTok that some have interpreted as racist. In the video, Shark was doing her nails while mouthing recorded dialogue with an “exaggerated Asian accent”, NME reports.
Shark deleted the TikTok video after receiving backlash and she proceeded to apologize on Twitter. She wrote:
I am sorry if I offended anyone, I can see that the TikTok i posted a couple of weeks ago was silly and inappropriate and honestly I never meant to cause any upset. I have taken down the video. love you all.
Here is the video in question:
amy shark’s tiktok 😐
Some People That Watched the TikTok Video Called it ‘Racist’
After she made the apology on Sunday, some fans responded, wanting more from the apology. One Twitter user replied, “If you were genuinely sorry, you wouldn’t be calling it “silly” and “inappropriate”- you’d call it exactly how it is- Racist. In a time when Asians are especially being abused & threatened around the world, EVERYONE should know better. Shouldn’t have been done to begin with.”
Another user tweeted:
Didn’t have “Amy Shark posts racist TikTok” on my pandemic bingo card.
They said, “Didn’t have “Amy Shark posts racist TikTok” on my pandemic bingo card.”
Comedian and Writer Nina Oyama Took Issue With Shark’s Video
Nina Oyama, a comedian and television writer, tweeted: “don’t forget to check on ur white friends in isolation to make sure they aren’t doing stupid bulls**t like this.”
She later tweeted:
***FOR THOSE WHO NEED IT***
Why a white person doing a “funny” fake Asian accent is bad:
– It is directly making fun of the way Asian people speak
– It reinforces negative stereotypes around Asian people
– The same accent is used to bully and dehumanize Asian people every day
She wrote:
***FOR THOSE WHO NEED IT*** Why a white person doing a “funny” fake Asian accent is bad:
– It is directly making fun of the way Asian people speak
– It reinforces negative stereotypes around Asian people
– The same accent is used to bully and dehumanize Asian people every day.
Shark reached out to Oyama, according to a tweet from Oyama. Oyama said when Shark was apologizing, “she was really sweet, and assured me that she understood where I was coming from. I got the feeling that she’d learned something – and that was enough for me.”
Oyama deleted her original tweet after Shark apologized to her. She doesn’t believe Shark is racist, saying, “I think she probably just didn’t know the negative effects of a white person doing an Asian accent. But now she knows and she won’t post things like that again! Which is a good outcome I think.”
Some Fans Defended Amy Shark Amid the Backlash
Some fans defended Amy Shark after she received the backlash for the TikTok video. One user said, “Nobody was actually offended, PC culture just has people jumping the gun any chance they get. It’s complete nonsense.”
Another Twitter user replied to the comment, “Yep…’blue tick’ trolls who..if you read their timelines are offended by every little thing that could possibly be posted & are just as offensive..if not moreso with their replies. Not happy unless they can find something to be outraged over…THEN DELETE IT!!!!”
Some else wrote, “I really can’t imagine that you would have posted something to intentionally hurt anyone though.”
READ NEXT: Kirsten Vaughn: Indiana Mechanic Says She Was Fired for Making OnlyFans Page