Celebrity Bios

Toke Makinwa Top Secrets: 4 Things You Didn’t Know.

Published

1 year ago

21 April 2025

Toke Like You’ve Never Seen Her—4 Surprising Things You Didn’t Know About Toke Makinwa

If you think you know Toke Makinwa, you might have to think again! Toke Makinwa isn’t just a TV or Radio presenter or a fashionista or entrepreneur, Toke Makinwa is a human and like every other human, she has a story – a story filled with ups and downs, heartbreaks and new beginnings and facts that you might not know.

In this article, we’ll be exploring 4 little-known-facts about Toke Makinwa and how each blow in life has helped her become the woman she is. This will greatly inspire you, so sit tight as we dive into the life of a celebrity who has been through life and facts about her that might leave you teary.

She Lost Both Her Parents to Fire at Age 8.

Toke Makinwa

The year 1993 marked a tragic point for Toke Makinwa and her entire family. At the tender age of eight, she lost both her parents, Caleb Ifemayowa and Modupe Monica Mayowa in a gas cylinder explosion in their home in Abuja.

Toke Makinwa explained in depth how the death of her parents was a turning point for her. In her book, On Becoming, she wrote:

‘’In the movies, you sometimes see a scene with someone burning from head to toe, screaming and trying to fight the flames. It happened right in front of me. Everyone ran back trying to figure out who it was and how to put out the flames, shouting advice from a safe distance.

It took me a moment to realize that it was my mum. I stood glued to the spot, watching her burn… Even after they were driven to the hospital, I could still smell it.

From being a bubbly, friendly child, I became withdrawn and taciturn. From being the child who always came first in class, I went to the bottom of the class”

After the death of her parents, Toke and her siblings moved into her eldest aunt’s home in Ikoyi, Lagos. While this was a downhill pivot for her, it also fueled her resilience and outlook on life.

From Literature to A Thriving Career in Media

Toke Makinwa – Radio presenter, TV personality and Entrepreneur

Toke Makinwa wasn’t born the eloquent presenter and glamorous personality, in fact, at it all started at the Federal Government Girls’ College, Oyo State where she had her secondary education. She then enrolled into the University of Lagos (UNILAG) where she studied English Language.

She seemed to know what she wanted because while in school studying English, she sought for hosting gigs, applied for internships and began to build herself slowly but steadily. She later went on to major in Communication and Media Studies. And her big break didn’t come until 2010 as a media host on Rhythm 93.7 FM in a show called ‘’The Morning Drive’’

Later on, Toke opened up about how losing her parents made her crave expression and how media became an outlet by which she could express herself. In her words:

‘’I had so much bottled up inside me, and I needed to speak, to pour out, to be heard. The mic gave me that power.”

Private Wedding, Public Divorce

Toke Makinwa’s ex-husband, Maje Ayida

While every marriage is expected to be happily-ever-afters, but some don’t turn out that way, behind the glamorous pictures, bags and following, Toke’s love story started like a fairy tale but plummeted, leading to heartbreak, scandal and then, rebirth.

In January 2014, Toke Makinwa got married to Maje Ayida, a fitness expert and founder of HIIT Squad after being in an on-and-off relationship for about 8 years. It was indeed a joyous moment for Toke and her fans not until barely 18 months later, news spread that Maje Ayida had impregnated his ex-girlfriend Anita Solomon even though he was still married to Toke.

Social media went wild, it was the headline on almost every blog, it didn’t just shake her fans, it broke Toke herself. In March 2016, Toke filed for a divorce on grounds of adultery, verbal abuse and emotional neglect and in October 2017, her divorce was finalized by an Igbosere High Court in Lagos.

But while many expected Toke to crumble, she emerged. That same year, she launched TM Luxury, her luxury bag line and six months later released her memoir – ‘’On Becoming.’’

On Becoming – A Story of Loss, Grief and Rebirth

Toke Makinwa’s memoir – On Becoming

While a lot of people would have collapsed under the weight of it all, Toke refused to. In November 2016, she released a memoir, and this wasn’t your regular book, this became a revolution.

In the book, she talked about everything – the painful memory of losing both parents in a fire when she was just 8 years old, her relationship with Maje Ayida, the cheating, its effects on her self-esteem, how societal expectations made her stay when she desperately wanted to leave. She didn’t just write about heartbreak but also about identity, faith, survival and womanhood.

And within 24 hours of release, On Becoming sold out in the major bookstores in Lagos. Celebrities like Banky W, Tiwa Savage and others were physically present not just to get a copy but to support her and appreciate her for telling her story.

It has since then become a kind of language that many Nigerian women understand, about the myth of a perfect marriage and the power of feminity and resilience.

In conclusion, the next time to hear the name Toke Makinwa, let it not only remind you of a bubbly internet sensation but also remind you of a woman of resilience and strength who had every reason to give up on life but didn’t but instead used her pain as fuel to build a legacy that would last beyond her.

Let her story be a reminder, especially to the female gender that it is possible to rise above the ashes and turn your lemons to lemonades not just for you but for others as well.

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Celebrity Bios

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

Published

3 weeks ago

26 September 2026

Laju Odogwu

Photo: Instagram/@tiwasavage

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.”

Celebrity Bios

Tems’ Journey From Lagos to Global Stardom

Published

4 weeks ago

19 September 2026

Laju Odogwu

Photo: Instagram/@temsbaby

Temilade Openiyi, popularly known as Tems, was born in Lagos and returned to Nigeria with her mother after her parents separated. Her childhood in Lagos was quiet and, by her own account, lonely. She wrote poems about her feelings and began writing songs at around age 11. Some were about not having friends and being called weird by classmates. The music room became an escape for her. She listened to Lauryn Hill, Lil’ Kim, Paramore and OutKast while finding her own voice.

Before pursuing music full-time, Tems studied economics in Johannesburg and later worked in marketing. In 2018, she left her corporate job to concentrate on music. She released “Mr Rebel” that year, followed by songs including “Try Me,” helped establish her as emerging voice in Nigeria’s alternative music scene.

Photo: Instagram/@temsbaby

Her international profile changed in 2020 when she appeared on Wizkid’s “Essence.” The song became a major international hit, and the remix with Justin Bieber extending it’s global reach. “Essence” brought Tems her first Grammy nomination, for Best Global Music Performance at the 2022 awards.

Tems kept on building her own catalogue, releasing her debut EP, “For Broken Ears”, in 2020, then “If Orange Was a Place” in 2021. Her collaborations picked up too: she featured on Drake’s “Fountains” from “Certified Lover Boy” in 2021 and joined Beyoncé and Grace Jones on “MOVE.” Then “Wait For U,” with Future and Drake, the song that won her first Grammy, for Best Melodic Rap Performance at the 2023 ceremony.

Photo: Instagram/@temsbaby

In 2024, she released “Born in the Wild”, her first studio album. The 18-track project draws from R&B, soul, Afrobeats and rap. “Love Me JeJe” also ties the album back to Nigerian music history, sampling elements of Seyi Sodimu’s 1997 song of the same name.

At the 2025 Grammys, “Love Me JeJe” won Best African Music Performance. The award was Tems’ second Grammy.

She’s gone from writing privately about her feelings to becoming one of the most distinct voices in Nigerian music today.

Celebrity Bios

5 Things You Didn’t Know About Ayra Starr

Published

1 month ago

5 September 2026

Laju Odogwu

Photo: Instagram/@Ayrastarr

Ayra Starr has gone from a young singer posting covers online into one of the most recognisable names in Afrobeats. Her music has taken her from Lagos to international stages, but there are still a few details about her journey that may surprise even longtime fans.

Here are five things you may not know about Ayra Starr.

She was born in Cotonou

Photo: Instagram/@Ayrastarr

Ayra Starr, whose real name is Oyinkansola Sarah Aderibigbe, was born in Cotonou, Benin Republic, on June 14, 2002. She spent her childhood between Cotonou, Abuja and and Lagos, experiences she said shaped the way she adapts to different people and environments. Her parents are Nigerian and are both from Kwara State.

She started out in modelling

Before pursuing music professionally, Ayra Starr modelled as a teenager. She signed with Lagos-based Quove Model Management as a teenager and was modelling at 16. She also appeared in Eri Ife’s “Dear Future Wife” music video during that period.

Starr has described modelling as something she pursued because people told her she was not tall enough to do it. Rather than giving up, she decided to prove them wrong.

She speaks four languages

She speaks Yoruba, French, English and Nigerian Pidgin. In a Pitchfork interview, she explained that her mother taught her Yoruba, which she jokingly described as the language she needed to use when talking to her aunties.

She started university Unusually Young

Photo: Instagram/@Ayrastarr

Ayra Starr began university at 15, studying International Relations and Political Science in Cotonou. She told Pitchfork that she deliberately wanted to finish her education early because she had already decided she wanted to become a teenage pop star.

She eventually graduated with a degree in International Relations and Political Science before her music career took off internationally.

She was discovered through a song she posted online

Photo: Instagram/@AyrastarrPhoto: Instagram/@Ayrastarr

Before signing with Mavin Records, Starr regularly posted song covers on Instagram. She eventually uploaded an original song, “Damage,” in December 2019 Don Jazzy reached out within hours and invited her to the studio.

Her discovery happened quickly. In an interview with GRAMMY.com, Starr recalled that after posting one of her covers, Don Jazzy reached out within hours, and she was signed days later.

From modelling as a teenager to posting music online and eventually becoming a Grammy-nominated artist, Ayra Starr’s path to the spotlight started long before her biggest hits.