Tiwa Savage

Singer, songwriter, and actress Tiwa Savage was born Tiwatope Savage on February 5, 1980, in Isale Eko, Lagos State, Nigeria. The Afrobeats/pop/hip-hop artist was raised in her homeland of Nigeria but moved to London, England at the age of 11 to further her education, which included attending the University of Kent. When she was 16, she began her music career as a backing vocalist for name artists such as Whitney Houston, Fantasia, Mary J. Blige, and George Michael. Tiwa Savage then began studying at Berklee School of Music in Boston, Massachusetts in 2008 while also participating on the UK edition of X-Factor. After graduating from Berklee in 2009, she signed a publishing deal with Sony/ATV before moving back home to Nigeria in 2012 to embrace the growth of the music industry in that country. Her early singles – including “Kele Kele Love”, “Love Me (3x)”, and “Ife Wa Gbona” featuring Leo Wonder - and won numerous awards before releasing her highly acclaimed debut album, Once Upon a Time, in 2013. Her second album, R.E.D. (2016) featured the singles “My Darlin’” and “African Waist” (featuring Don Jazzy). She continued to receive international acclaim, winning the Best African Act honors at the 2018 MTV Europe Music Awards. In 2020, Tiwa Savage released Celia, her third album, which featured the Number 1 single “Attention”.