TIWA SAVAGE IS OUR WOMAN CRUSH WEDNESDAY

It is Woman Crush Wednesday and our woman crush is, Tiwalope Savage known as Tiwa Savage

She did backup vocals for English singer George Michael at the age of 16 and lent vocals to other musicians such as Mary J. Blige, Chaka Khan, Blu Cantrell, Emma Bunton, Kelly Clarkson, Andrea Bocelli and Ms. Dynamite. Savage enrolled at Berklee College of Music and graduated with a degree in professional music in 2007. While reminiscing about her experiences there, she said she was motivated by the drive and passion of the younger students. She also said she needed the school’s atmosphere.

In 2006, Savage participated in the UK edition of The X Factor and advanced to the final 24, but ended up being the 12th.

In 2009, Savage signed a publishing deal with Sony/ATV Music Publishing. The deal allowed her to write for Babyface, Kat Deluna, Fantasia, Monica and Mýa. She has received songwriting credits for her contribution to Monica’s soul-tinged ballad “Catch Me”. Her collaboration with Fantasia on the song “Collard Greens & Cornbread” earned the American recording artist a Grammy nomination in 2010. Savage wrote Jaicko’s “Oh Yeah”, featuring Snoop Dogg, and Deluna’s “Push Push”, featuring Akon. She performed background vocals on Whitney Houston’s album I Look to You (2009). Inspired by the growth of the Nigerian music industry, Savage moved back to Nigeria and signed with Mavin Records in 2012.

In December 2011, Savage co-hosted the second season of Nigerian Idol alongside IllRymz. She made her film debut with Joke Silva and Ireti Doyle in the stage adaptation of For Coloured Girls. Savage established the 323 Entertainment record label with her former manager and husband Tunji “Tee Billz . She joined Mavin Records in 2012 and was one of the lead acts on the label’s compilation album Solar Plexus (2012). While attending Berklee College of Music, she networked with musicians Keith Harris, Derek Pate, Scott Coleman, Radar Ellis, and Darien Dorsey.

In celebration of the 52nd anniversary of Nigeria’s independence, Savage performed her rendition of “Arise, O Compatriots” for Ndani Sessions. In November 2012, she collaborated with Waje, Praiz, Timi Dakolo and Pamela Egoh on the Ovation Red Carol theme song “Higher”. Savage named the album Once Upon a Time in order to portray the positive stories about her life. She said she wanted to motivate other upcoming artists by telling them that, once upon a time, she was a little girl in Isale Eko who dreamt of being a star. The album was supported by seven singles—”Kele Kele Love”, “Love Me (3x)”, “Without My Heart”, “Ife Wa Gbona”, “Folarin”, “Olorun Mi” and “Eminado”. It also includes political songs like “Middle Passage”, which is about the struggles of African men in a foreign country. Once Upon a Time was nominated for Best Album of the Year at the 2014 Nigeria Entertainment Awards. It was also nominated for Best R&B/Pop Album at The Headies 2014.

Savage performed on the Liberty Stage of Jay Z’s Made in America Festival. During her performance, she brought out Young Paris for a performance of “Best of Me” (Remix). Savage released her debut EP Sugarcane on 22 September 2017. It features collaborations with producers and guest artists such as Wizkid, Spellz, Baby Fresh, Maleek Berry and P2J. It explores themes of love and was recorded in English and Yoruba. Sugarcane was nominated for Best Album of the Year at the 2018 Nigeria Entertainment Awards.
Savage won Best African Act at the 2018 MTV Europe Music Awards, becoming the first woman to win the category.

On 13 March, Savage was added to the lineup of artists who performed at the 2019 Wireless Festival. On 2 May 2019, Universal Music Group announced the signing of Savage to a seven-year publishing and distribution deal. It was also revealed that she left Mavin Records.

In July 2019, Savage was featured on “Keys to the Kingdom”, a track she co-wrote for Beyoncé’s soundtrack album The Lion King: The Gift. She appeared on the track alongside Mr Eazi.

On 19 November 2019, Savage released the Black Jheerze-produced track “Attention” and the Pheelz-produced track “Owo Mi Da” as standalone. Savage performed background vocals on “Èkó”, a slow-burning ballad from Coldplay’s eighth studio album Everyday Life (2019).

2020 till date Tiwa Savage has released songs and albums that her fans keep connecting to.

Here are five things you don’t know about our woman crush;

1 Tiwa Savage is a humanitarian, she has been involved in empowerment programs for the youths and breast cancer screening projects all over Nigeria.

2 She is listed amongst the top 25 most influential women in Nigeria.

3 She is the first African female artist to be associated with the Pepsi brand.

4 In high school, she was a member of the school’s orchestra where she played the trombone for the group.

5 Tiwas Savage’s son Jamil and Davido’s daughter Imade are best friends.