Music sensation Tiwa Savage has opened up about the evolution of her public image, revealing that she didn’t always present herself as the glamorous figure fans know today.
The singer, in a revealing interview, said her transformation was largely influenced by her ex-husband and former manager, Tunji Balogun, who believed a more polished, market-friendly image would help her stand out in the competitive music scene.
“The sexiness in my 2024 single ‘Wanted’ music video felt groundbreaking at that time,” she said. “Because I just got married and there’s a lot of press saying, ‘She’s not going to be desirable anymore. She’s finished. Her time is gone. There are new people on the scene.’ So, I was just like, let me do something crazy.”
Tiwa described her response to those doubting her appeal: “That was me being rebellious. I was like, Oh! You guys think I’m not sexy anymore? To be honest, that wasn’t the aim, to just try to be sexy. Because naturally, I’m not. Naturally, I’m a tomboy.”
According to her, Balogun saw potential in a complete image shift: “TJ [Tunji Balogun] saw that there was a gap in the market and he was just like, you’ve to lose weight, you’ve to go to the gym, you’ve to start waxing your eyebrows. You’ve to start wearing wigs. He literally changed my whole appearance. I was not like that in L.A. when he met me.”
She reflected on her earlier days in Los Angeles, where she worked behind the scenes in studios. “I used to be a songwriter in the studio wearing baggy jeans and t-shirt. And he literally changed that. I don’t think that he thought there was going to be a backlash. He was just like, let’s give them the African Rihanna or Beyoncé. I was like, okay, let’s go ahead.”
However, returning to Nigeria came with unexpected resistance. “We came back to Nigeria, but my fashion sense attracted criticism. Then, I ran back to L.A.”
She recalled being shut out of events because of how she dressed: “I would go to shows and I would be waiting backstage and they wouldn’t call me because maybe the governor’s wife had said I can’t come up or they’d say, make sure you don’t wear any of those your skimpy dresses. I’m not making this up. There was a time, ‘Love Me’ was banned on TV. I was discouraged.”
Despite early setbacks, Tiwa stayed the course, thanks to encouragement from her team. “I remembered Bizzle called me and told me ladies were loving me, so I came back to Nigeria. I’ve told the story where I went to all the labels and they all said no — Storm Records, Mo’Hits, Banky W’s EME, everyone.”
Today, Tiwa Savage stands as one of Nigeria’s most successful and influential artists — proof of how far she’s come since her days of baggy jeans and recording studios in L.A.
