Nigerian music sensation Tiwa Savage has opened up about her surprising transformation from a tomboy into one of Afrobeats’ most stylish and talked-about female stars.
She revealed that before she became famous, she had no interest in being a “sexy diva” and never saw herself as one.
According to the singer, her journey into stardom began with a major shift in her appearance and image, a change driven by her ex-husband and former manager, Tunji Balogun, popularly known as Teebillz.
How Teebillz rebranded her image
Speaking during an episode of the Afrobeats Intelligence podcast hosted by Joey Akan, Tiwa shared how Teebillz played a key role in shaping her brand and public persona.
“I used to wear baggy jeans and T-shirts in the studio. I was just a songwriter then,” she said. “When I met Teebillz in L.A., I was nothing like what people see now. He saw something different and thought there was a gap in the market.”
She explained that Teebillz convinced her to rebrand completely. He encouraged her to start going to the gym, lose weight, wax her eyebrows, wear wigs, and embrace a more glamorous and bolder image.
“He literally changed my whole appearance,” she recalled. “He wanted to give people the African Rihanna or Beyoncé. And I said, okay, let’s do it.”
Early backlash and cultural resistance
The mother of one also revealed that while the new image brought attention, it also drew heavy criticism when she returned to Nigeria to pursue a singing career.
“My fashion sense attracted a lot of backlash,” she said. “I would go to events and wait backstage, and they wouldn’t call me up. Sometimes, they said the governor’s wife didn’t want me to perform because of my dressing. Or I’d be told not to wear anything skimpy.”
At one point, her music video for Love Me was banned from Nigerian television. The criticism and rejection were so overwhelming that she temporarily left the country and returned to Los Angeles.
Her breakthrough moment
Despite these challenges, Tiwa Savage did not give up. She recalled a moment when music executive Bizzle Osikoya reached out to encourage her.
“He told me that ladies were beginning to love me, and that gave me the strength to return to Nigeria and keep pushing,” she said.
But the road wasn’t smooth. She said she approached all the top record labels at the time, including Storm Records, Mo’Hits, and EME, which belonged to Banky W, but they all turned her down.
Pushing back against the doubts
Tiwa Savage also addressed the criticism she received around the time of her 2024 single Wanted. She said the video was intentionally daring because people believed she had lost her appeal after getting married.
“At the time, the media was saying, ‘She’s not going to be desirable anymore. Her time is gone. There are new faces now,’” she recalled. “So I wanted to do something bold. I wanted to prove that I was still here.”
Although she described the move as rebellious, Tiwa insisted that she never aimed to be sexy solely for attention. “That’s not who I naturally am,” she said. “I’m a tomboy at heart. But I had to evolve.”
A bold reinvention that paid off
Tiwa Savage’s story is a testament to how reinvention, even when controversial, can play a powerful role in an artist’s journey. From being a behind-the-scenes songwriter in the U.S. to becoming a global face of Nigerian music, her rise was not just about talent but also about strategic branding, perseverance, and breaking cultural barriers.
Today, Tiwa stands as a trailblazer in the Afrobeats scene, not just for her music but also for challenging norms and reshaping how female artists are perceived in the industry.
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