Over the weekend, Coco Jones’ sit-down with the “The Evolving Outlier Podcast” began trending on social media. In a clip shared online, the “ICU” hitmaker praised the Afrobeats genre and named Ayra Starr, whom she’s a fan of.

“I love Afrobeats. There’s this artist, Ayra Starr, she’s so fire, and I just met her the other day, and she’s so cool. She’s going to be a star, for sure. She already named herself that, but she gives a vibe,” Jones told host Andrea Humphrey.

Typically, compliments don’t lead to backlash, but some of Starr’s fans were unhappy with Jones’ comment, feeling it downplayed the Nigerian singer’s current status. “This is an example of [the] U.S. being centered in every conversation being detrimental,” read a viral tweet from Sunday (May 26). “Ayra is a star. Would it be cool to break into [the] American market? Yes, does she need it? Not really.”

Another Twitter user wrote, “I think the craziest part of this thing is that Coco Jones did not say anything bad about Ayra. She was literally praising her. Fans are the weapon fashioned against their faves.”

Elsewhere, someone highlighted that success on DSPs doesn’t always translate overseas: “Y’all are quick to compare artists using numbers [or] streams like it’s all that matters.” Peep more reactions below.

Funnily enough, Jones and Starr have a collaboration coming out. The pair are slated to team up alongside Anitta for “Woman Commando” from the Afropop artist’s forthcoming project, The Year I Turned 21, which drops on Friday (May 31). Additional features include Giveon and Asake.

Jones is also working on her long-awaited debut album, expected to come out this year. “I definitely am experimenting. I want to let myself be free and not try to fit into any expectation. I want to see what happens and where that lands,” she told Complex in February.