Nigerian singer and self-acclaimed African Bad Girl Tiwatope Savage, professionally known as Tiwa Savage, said she'd love to see Afrobeats compete with other genres of music in the world.
In an interview with Billboard News, Tiwa speaks on the growth of Afrobeats from Africa to the world, how she has stayed consistent over the years and the public's view about her performance at King Charles III coronation this year.
Tiwa Savage said it's huge to see Afrobeats evolve from being an ordinary genre in Africa to being recognized all over the world because when she started singing, it wasn't well known.
She said, "When I got into it, it wasn't crossing over yet so to see it now and to still be in the game is a blessing for me." Tiwa said she feels inspired to see Afrobeats artists hit a billion streams on platforms because it was impossible many years ago.
The host asked, "I was talking about how the Grammys added their category. Now it's not just the Grammys. It's the AMAs and VMAs. Do you think that's a great thing? Should there be more categories?"
Tiwa said, "I think it's great that we're being recognized. I still want Afrobeats to be like popular music. I don't want it to be a niche genre. I still want it to be competing with RnB, Hip-hop and country music."
She also spoke about being a backup singer for American singers Beyonce, Mary J Blige and Kelly Clarkson. She said working in the background shaped her view as an artist because she watched these women show up even on days when they didn't feel like it.
Tiwa revealed that she'd be crossing from Afrobeats to RnB genre very soon. She said some of her songs have a touch of RnB in it so she has been planning to take the step for a long time.
She also discussed one of the most incredible performances ever as a singer, her performance at King Charles coronation. She expressed that she was nervous while performing on stage especially when she heard there were about 80M people watching.
She said, "I was nervous. Oh my goodness! I was like, 'yeah okay. It's a coronation.' Then I heard there's about 80M people watching. Just before I stepped on stage, I was like, 'I'm representing not only Africa, African women'. I knew it was a really important moment and that just changed everything for me. I went out there and I was like, yeah I'm gonna kill this."
Tiwa Savage fascinated Nigerians and fans home and abroad on the 6th of May 2023 as she got on the international stage at Westminster Abbey in London to give a rousing performance in the presence of the monarch of England,King Charles and his wife, Queen Camilla and other important personalities and dignitaries from various parts of the globe.
This electrifying performance sent the audience into a state of euphoria as Tiwa Savage enticed them with her hypnotic voice as she sang her song "Keys to the Kingdom". Though the audience were pleased, fans on Twitter had a lot to say about the performance. They criticized Tiwa Savage's choice of song saying it upholds colonialism. Coming from a former British colony like Nigeria, that was a low blow from Tiwa Savage. The people thought.
However, Tiwa Savage addressed it saying her song "Keys to the Kingdom" is a song that was written to celebrate her son Jamil Balogun and black men in general. She said, "There are lot of songs out there bashing the black man so I wanted a song that was celebrating the black man and saying, 'You have the keys to the kingdom' and they chose that song.
Tiwa Savage said she knew a conversation about her song was going to erupt anyway. She stated that if there was no artist to represent her people, they would criticize. Therefore, it was a positive step in the right direction. She didn't mind being the scapegoat because she knew she delivered a great performance and the people can't deny that.
In an interview with Billboard News, Tiwa speaks on the growth of Afrobeats from Africa to the world, how she has stayed consistent over the years and the public's view about her performance at King Charles III coronation this year.
Tiwa Savage said it's huge to see Afrobeats evolve from being an ordinary genre in Africa to being recognized all over the world because when she started singing, it wasn't well known.
She said, "When I got into it, it wasn't crossing over yet so to see it now and to still be in the game is a blessing for me." Tiwa said she feels inspired to see Afrobeats artists hit a billion streams on platforms because it was impossible many years ago.
The host asked, "I was talking about how the Grammys added their category. Now it's not just the Grammys. It's the AMAs and VMAs. Do you think that's a great thing? Should there be more categories?"
Tiwa said, "I think it's great that we're being recognized. I still want Afrobeats to be like popular music. I don't want it to be a niche genre. I still want it to be competing with RnB, Hip-hop and country music."
She also spoke about being a backup singer for American singers Beyonce, Mary J Blige and Kelly Clarkson. She said working in the background shaped her view as an artist because she watched these women show up even on days when they didn't feel like it.
Tiwa revealed that she'd be crossing from Afrobeats to RnB genre very soon. She said some of her songs have a touch of RnB in it so she has been planning to take the step for a long time.
She also discussed one of the most incredible performances ever as a singer, her performance at King Charles coronation. She expressed that she was nervous while performing on stage especially when she heard there were about 80M people watching.
She said, "I was nervous. Oh my goodness! I was like, 'yeah okay. It's a coronation.' Then I heard there's about 80M people watching. Just before I stepped on stage, I was like, 'I'm representing not only Africa, African women'. I knew it was a really important moment and that just changed everything for me. I went out there and I was like, yeah I'm gonna kill this."
Tiwa Savage fascinated Nigerians and fans home and abroad on the 6th of May 2023 as she got on the international stage at Westminster Abbey in London to give a rousing performance in the presence of the monarch of England,King Charles and his wife, Queen Camilla and other important personalities and dignitaries from various parts of the globe.
This electrifying performance sent the audience into a state of euphoria as Tiwa Savage enticed them with her hypnotic voice as she sang her song "Keys to the Kingdom". Though the audience were pleased, fans on Twitter had a lot to say about the performance. They criticized Tiwa Savage's choice of song saying it upholds colonialism. Coming from a former British colony like Nigeria, that was a low blow from Tiwa Savage. The people thought.
However, Tiwa Savage addressed it saying her song "Keys to the Kingdom" is a song that was written to celebrate her son Jamil Balogun and black men in general. She said, "There are lot of songs out there bashing the black man so I wanted a song that was celebrating the black man and saying, 'You have the keys to the kingdom' and they chose that song.
Tiwa Savage said she knew a conversation about her song was going to erupt anyway. She stated that if there was no artist to represent her people, they would criticize. Therefore, it was a positive step in the right direction. She didn't mind being the scapegoat because she knew she delivered a great performance and the people can't deny that.