Tiwa Savage’s Journey From Backup Singer to Global Music Star

Way before the fame, and before she was called “Queen of Afrobeats”, Tiwatope Omolara Savage was born on February 5, 1980, in Isale Eko, Lagos. Her family moved to London when she was age 11, and that’s where she grew up. She studied accounting at the University of Kent and even worked at the Royal Bank of Scotland for a while, nothing close to music.

Music found her anyway. At 16, she got her first proper singing job, doing backup vocals for George Michael. From there she worked with Mary J. Blige, Whitney Houston, Kelly Clarkson, Chaka Khan, and Andrea Bocelli. She also tried her luck on the UK’s X Factor, pushing for a shot at a solo career.

Photo: Instagram/@tiwasavage

She eventually dropped the accounting path completely and went to Berklee College of Music, finishing in 2007. Two years later, Sony/ATV signed her to a publishing deal.

Things really shifted in 2012, when she came back to Nigeria and signed with Don Jazzy’s Mavin Records. By 2014, she’d become the first female Nigerian artist ever nominated for a BET Award. In 2016, she signed with Roc Nation, another first for a Nigerian act. Then in November 2018, she made history again as the first woman to win Best African Act at the MTV EMAs.

Photo: Instagram/@tiwasavage

Her music has always combined Afrobeats, R&B, afropop, and a touch of hip-hop, easily switching between English and Yoruba. Albums like “Once Upon a Time,” “R.E.D,” and “Celia” showed different sides of her artistry over the years. Her 2021 EP “Water & Garri” later became the inspiration for a Nigerian film of the same title, which she starred in and produced.

In 2019, Universal Music Group signed her to a global deal. These days, she’s known as the Queen of Afrobeats, still active through her Tiwa Savage Music Foundation and her recent album, “This One Is Personal.”