Spotlight Artist: Tiwa Savage
TIWA SAVAGE - QUEEN OF AFROBEATS
Tiwa Savage, known to many as the talented Queen of Afrobeats, is a singer from Isale Eko, Lagos, Nigeria. She moved to London at 11 years old for her secondary education, and kickstarted her music career five years later as a backup singer for various artists including Mary J. Blige, George Michael, Chaka Khan, Andrea Bocelli, Kelly Clarkson and even Whitney Houston.
She graduated from the University of Kent with an accounting degree and worked for a number of years at The Royal Bank of Scotland. Later she decided to focus on music and attended the Berklee College of Music in the US. Her participation in The X Factor televised singing competition contributed to her first record deal. Tiwa later returned to her home country to further her music career in the rapidly expanding Nigerian music industry.
Song dedicated to lives lost to Nigerian police brutality
Her first album earned her several nominations, such as for Best Album of the Year at the 2014 Nigeria Entertainment Awards and Best R&B/ Pop Album at The Headies. Among her many achievements, she was the first woman to win the Best African Act at the MTV Europe Music Awards in 2018. US Vogue has deemed her one of the Most Inspirational Women, and British Vogue awarded her the title of one of 10 women that are changing the face of music globally.
True to her roots, Tiwa Savage's genre mixes Afrobeats, R&B, pop and hip-hop. She sings in English and her native tongue of Yoruba. Her collaborations with various artists from around the world, including Beyonce, Sam Smith, Sean Paul, Kranium and Ed Sheeran, has helped expand the global presence of Afrobeats and Afro-pop music.
In addition to her ventures in music, Tiwa Savage is an inspirational figure who has been involved in projects for youth empowerment, raised funds to build schools in Nigeria, and breast cancer screening projects. We are absolutely in love with this strong, multitalented and selfless queen!