Tiwatope Savage (born February 5, 1980), known under the stage name Tiwa Savage, is a Nigerian Singer-songwriter, recording artist, and performer. She is currently signed to Sony/ATV Music Publishing and Mavin Records.She co-wrote the track "Collard Greens & Cornbread" on Fantasia Barrino’s Grammy-nominated album Back to Me.Savage is also signed to Sony Music Entertainment.She released her debut album on July 3, 2013. Savage sings in English and Yoruba.
Early life and beginning of music carrier
Tiwa Savage was born in Lagos, Nigeria. Her family relocated to England from Nigeria when she was 11 years old. Whilst attending high school, she was a trombone player for her school's orchestra band. When asked about her childhood, Savage's response was "Growing up was very interesting. There were no barriers, I was just free. I had a very healthy upbringing.
Before going into music full time, Tiwa first worked at The Royal Bank of Scotland after graduation from the University of Kent where she obtained a degree in Business administration. Although she did backup vocals for George Michael at the age of 16 and lent vocals to other musicians such as Mary J. Blige, Chaka Khan, Blu Cantrell, etc. Furthermore, she has performed on stage with Sting, 50 Cent, The Black Eyed Peas, Eminem, Robbie Williams, and Destiny’s Child to name a few.
Not wanting to be a backup singer forever, Savage enrolled at Berklee College of Music and graduated with a degree in professional music at the age of 27. While reminiscing about her experiences there, she said "When I came to Berklee and saw a lot of the younger students, their drive and their passion, it recharged my batteries...[They're] not thinking, 'I'm going to save about $10,000 before I move,' no, 'I'm just going to get my backpack and move.' I needed that fresh air, that atmosphere. I kind of felt like a 19-year-old."
In 2006, Savage participated in UK's X-Factor and made it to the final 24 while attending the aforementioned music school. While participating in UK's X factor, she had difficulty dealing with the limelight. "You have to always realize that people are watching. When I got the bad news that I wasn't getting through [to the final 12] it was really painful. But you still have to learn how to hold that until you get home. Because you don't want to just let everything out. People admire you and want to see that you're strong; they don't want to see you breaking down" said Tiwa.
In 2009, Sony/ATV Music Publishing signed Savage to a music deal. The deal solidified her to write for Babyface, Kat Deluna, Fantasia Barrino, Monica and Mýa, among others. She has received songwriting credits for her contribution to Monica's soul-tinged ballad, "Catch Me". Moreover, her collaboration with Fantasia on the song "Collard Greens & Cornbread" earned the American recording artist a grammy nomination in 2010. Savage wrote Jaicko’s "Oh Yeah" featuring Snoop Dogg, Kat Deluna’s "Push Push" featuring Akon and David Guetta, and performed background vocals on Whitney Houston’s album "I Look to You". She was featured on Flavour N'abania's "Oyi Remix". In December of 2011, she co-hosted Season 2 of the Nigerian Idol alongside IllRymz. Moreover, she made her film debut with Joke Silva and Ireti Doyle in the stage adaptation of "For Coloured Girls". Tiwa became the first African female artist to be associated with the Pepsi brand after signing an endorsement deal with them. Savage has been involved in many youth empowerment and breast cancer screening projects across Nigeria. She said "I’ve met with a lot of organizations and already put up something to fight breast cancer. Very soon, screenings will start especially for young girls. I also visit the motherless homes quite often but I don’t put it in the press because I don’t want to expose those kids.
323 Entertainment/Mavin Records
Savage established her own label imprint, 323 Entertainment with her manager Tunji "TJ Billz" Balogun whom she got engaged to on February 5, 2013(her birthday). In as much as she likes writing for other artists, she finds writing for herself more rewarding. She said "I have political songs like ‘Middle Passage,’ which is about the struggles of African men in a foreign country". When asked about her experiences with relocating to three different continents, Savage said "Living in all three places—in Africa, in Europe, and now the United States—it's really opened my eyes. I'm really accepting of a lot of cultures. I feel a lot older than I am, because I've seen a lot. with a lot of poverty in Nigeria, the people are still smiling even when they don't have water...I kept saying to myself that when I made it I was going to invest millions and I just realized I have to do stuff now. People always say, when I make it...If you don't discipline yourself now, you're never going to do it, even if you do get millions." Tiwa helped raise money for an organization that builds schools in her hometown. Savage joined Don Jazzy's Mavin Records in 2012 after the label she co-owns teamed up with the executive producer. She was a featured artist on the record label's first compilation album entitled "Solar Plexus".323 Entertainment/Mavin Records
Savage established her own label imprint, 323 Entertainment with her manager Tunji "TJ Billz" Balogun whom she got engaged to on February 5, 2013. In as much as she likes writing for other artists, she finds writing for herself more rewarding. She said "I have political songs like ‘Middle Passage,’ which is about the struggles of African men in a foreign country". When asked about her experiences with relocating to three different continents, Savage said "Living in all three places—in Africa, in Europe, and now the United States—it's really opened my eyes. I'm really accepting of a lot of cultures. I feel a lot older than I am, because I've seen a lot. A lot of poverty in Nigeria, but people still smiling when they don't even have water...I kept saying to myself that when I made it I was going to invest millions and I just realized I have to do stuff now. People always say, when I make it...If you don't discipline yourself now, you're never going to do it, even if you do get millions." Tiwa helped raise money for an organization that builds schools in her hometown. Savage joined Don Jazzy's Mavin Records in 2012 after the label she co-owns teamed up with the executive producer. She was a featured artist on the record label's first compilation album entitled "Solar Plexus". A record label in which she is referred to as the First Lady.2010-2013: Once Upon A Time
| “ | This album [Once Upon a Time] is straight from my heart and it’s something that I’ve worked so tirelessly for. A lot of people wondered why it took me so long a time to drop my own album. That’s because we had to go through a lot of legal processes to clear some of the samples that we used, and that took us some months. Also, we wanted to work with notable producers outside the shores of the country like Oak who produces Rihanna. So, we had to work around his schedule and waited for them to have our time. But this album is something that I really took my time with because I didn’t want it to be the usual Nigerian album that contains just party tracks from the beginning till the end. | ” |
Some of her hit tracks
| Year | Title | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | "Kele Kele Love" | Once Upon a Time |
| 2011 | "Love Me (3x)" | |
| 2012 | "Ife Wa Gbona" | |
| 2013 | "Without My Heart" (featuring Don Jazzy) | |
| "Olorun Mi" | ||
| 2012 | "Oma Ga" | Solar Plexus |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Event | Prize | Nominated work | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Nigeria Music Video Awards (NMVA) | Best Use of Costumes | "Without My Heart" (featuring Don Jazzy) |
Pending | |
| Nigeria Entertainment Awards | Best Collabo | Nominated | |||
| Channel O Music Video Awards | Most Gifted Female Video | Pending | |||
| MOBO Awards | Best African Act | Nominated | |||
| 2012 | Nigeria Music Video Awards (NMVA) | Best Use of Costumes | "Ife Wa Gbona" | Nominated | |
| Best Highlife | Won | ||||
| Best Indigenous Concept | Nominated | ||||
| Video of the Year | Nominated | ||||
| Nigeria Entertainment Awards | Best New Act of the Year | Nominated | |||
| Best Pop/R&B Artist of the Year | Nominated | ||||
| Hip Hop World Awards (The Headies) | Best Vocal Performance (Female) | "Love Me (3x)" | Won | ||
| Best R ‘N’ B Single | Nominated | ||||
| Channel O Music Video Awards | Most Gifted R&B Music Video of the Year | "Oyi (Remix)" (Flavour N'abania featuring Tiwa Savage) |
Won | ||
| 2011 | Nigeria Entertainment Awards | Best New Act of the Year | Nominated | ||
| Nigeria Music Video Awards (NMVA) | Best Use of Choreography | "Kele Kele Love" | Nominated | ||
| City People Entertainment Award | Female Musician of the Year | Won | |||
| Afrotainment Museke Online Music Awards | Best R&B Soul Song | "Kele Kele Love" | Won | ||
| FAB Magazine Awards | Most Stylish Female Artiste | Won | |||
| Dynamix All Youth Awards | Most Promising Act | Won | |||
| Channel O Music Video Awards | Most Gifted Female Video | "Kele Kele Love" | Nominated | ||
| Tush Youth Awards | Female Musician of the Year | Nominated | |||
| Song of the Year | "Love Me (3x)" | Nominated | |||
| Hip-Hop World Awards (The Headies) | Next Rated | "Kele Kele Love" | Nominated | ||
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