Tiwa Savage is a Nigerian singer, songwriter, actress, and fashion icon. Her genre of music is R&B, Afrobeats, and hip hop, and she sings exceptionally well in both Igbo and Yoruba.
Excelling in music has definitely been a huge passion for her from the get-go. She began her singing career as a backup singer for musicians such as Mary J. Blige and George Michael when she was 16 years old. After graduating from the Beklee College of Music in 2009, she signed a music publishing deal with Sony/ATV Music Publishing.
Inspired by the growth of the music industry in Nigeria, she moved back to the country. In 2012, she signed a recording deal with the Marvins. Her debut album, “Once Upon a Time,” released in 2013, earned her two Headies nominations. First were the albums of the year at the 2014 Nigerian Entertainment Awards and the best R&B/pop album at the 2014 Headies Awards. She signed a management and publishing contract with Roc Nation in 2016. She released her debut EP, Sugarcane, the same year.
The growth of Tiwa in the industry has been exponential, both in Nigeria and around the world. In 2018, she won the Best African Act at the 2018 MTV Europe Music Awards, making her the first woman to win the award. She was featured on the cover of Billboard magazine’s “Africa Now” issue in 2020.
The 43-year-old superstar is currently signed to Universal Music Studios, and in 2019, she co-wrote “Keys to the Kingdom,” a Beyonce soundtrack for her album “The Lion King: The Gift.”
“Water and Garri,” Tiwa’s first film, was recently announced on her Instagram. She co-produced the film with Meji Alabi, which is set to be released this year. The name was inspired by her second extended play, “Water & Garri.”
Her growth in the industry has been amazing, and we can be assured that there’s definitely more coming.