Tiwa Savage is Amebo9ja Artiste of the Month for October. It’s been a long time coming for the Afropop diva who becomes the second lady to grace our monthly feature.
For the 39-year-old singer, being a musician feels like a thing of destiny, it always finds you out no matter how long. The former Mavins Records first lady was doing very fine as a banker in the UK until destiny came calling.
So far her foray into music has been a blessing to Afrobeat(s) because the genre has enjoyed massive exposure through her craft. Even more so, the mother-of-one represents her fellow females with her head held high. If there are any female Nigerian artistes who can give their male counterparts a run for their money anytime any day, Tiwa Savage would make top two.
Her work ethic is always worthy of accolades and emulation. Two albums, one EP and a string of hit songs, Mummy Jamil is never resting on her oars. She has been through marriage and stayed on top, went through separation unbroken and remained a champ as a mother.
Her seven years at Mavin Records were fantastic but somehow every good thing must come to an end. She officially parted ways with Don Jazzy’s music imprint on mutual terms. A new phase was opening up for her.
Almost half way through 2019, she announced signing a record deal with Universal Music Group. The dream of taking her music global just got more clearer and palpable. By this she became the first Afrobeats diva to seal a deal with the global music giants. Signing with a global music imprint as Universal has an inevitable downtime but she stayed afloat with the right collaborations while her structure is being set up. Her deal with UMG is worked out through subsidiaries like Island Records UK, Motown Records and Capitol Music Group.
From then on the ‘All Over’ crooner has been performing on big stages across the globe, like the Afropunk, Oh My! Festival and many others. Having recording deals with global music company sure has it perks which Tiwa Savage is happily enjoying.
In the heat of things, she was one of the few African music stars who graced Beyonce’s ‘The Gift‘ album in June. The Billboard did a special premium feature on the singer and her music among other things.
Finally her first music release under UMG came in September which was also her first in the year. The roll out was quite impressive from what we have come to expect from her. Premiere events in New York, London and one for the home crowd in Lagos. ‘49-99‘ has been warmly received since release with over 4 million views on the video.
For the first time, Tiwa Savage earned a nomination for ‘Artiste of the Year’ at the 13th Headies Award. She is the first female in recent times to have earned a nod in that category which has been an all-male affair for years now.
There are a few months left before 2019 comes to an end, it is with much enthusiasm that we look forward to what Tiwa in collaboration with her labels would serve. Most importantly an album from the singer is very much expected and while we wait, many cheers to a queen.
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