Thursdays are generally accepted for the perfect throwbacks. Today we look at Nigerian music diva, Tiwa Savage, who has come a long way in the music industry.
Tiwatope Savage was born on 5 February 1980, in Isale Eko, Lagos State, Nigeria. Her family relocated to London when she was 11 years old. While attending secondary school, she was a trombone player for her school’s orchestra band. Savage graduated with a degree in accounting from the University of Kent, and started working at The Royal Bank of Scotland.
Having flair for singing , she did backup vocals for English singer George Michael at the age of 16. She also lent vocals to other musicians such as Mary J. Blige, Chaka Khan, Blu Cantrell, Emma Bunton, Kelly Clarkson, Andrea Bocelli and Ms. Dynamite.
She later 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 person to be evicted. 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. Inspired by the growth of the Nigerian music industry, Savage moved back to Nigeria and signed with Mavin Records in 2012. Let’s down memory lane to some of Tiwa’s hit singles namely:
1. Kele Kele Love
Kele Kele Love is a song by Nigerian singer Tiwa Savage, released as the lead single from her debut studio album Once Upon a Time (2013). The accompanying music video for “Kele Kele Love” was shot and directed in Los Angeles by Jerry Chan. It was co-directed by Tiwa Savage and Tee Billz. “Kele Kele Love” won Best R&B Soul Song at the 2011 Afrotainment Museke Online Music Awards. It earned Tiwa Savage a nomination for the Next Rated award at The Headies 2011. The music video for “Kele Kele Love” was nominated for Most Gifted Female Video at the 2011 Channel O Music Video Awards. It was also nominated for Best Use of Choreography at the 2011 Nigeria Music Video Awards (NMVA).
2. Eminado
“Eminado” (meaning “Good Luck Charm”) is a song by Nigerian singer Tiwa Savage. It features vocals from Don Jazzy and was released as the seventh single from her debut studio album Once Upon a Time (2013). The song peaked at number 2 on MTV Base’s Official Naija Top 10 chart from March 7 through March 13, 2014. On the contrary, the music video was criticized for bearing close resemblance to Tumi and the Volume’s “Asinamali” video. “Eminado” was nominated in the World’s Best Song and World’s Best Video categories at the 2014 World Music Awards. At the 2014 Nigeria Entertainment Awards, the song was nominated for Hottest Single of the Year. The music video for “Eminado” won Most Gifted Female Video and was nominated for Most Gifted Video of the Year at the 2014 Channel O Music Video Awards.
Wanted
“Wanted” is a song by Nigerian singer Tiwa Savage from her debut studio album Once Upon a Time (2013). The song was produced by American producer Warren “Oak” Felder and samples the memorable line “out in the streets/they call it murder” from Damian Marley’s “Welcome to Jamrock”. The Moe Musa-directed music video for “Wanted” was released on 27 May 2014. Its release prompted a huge public backlash across various social networking sites, including Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
Source: Wikipedia