Tiwatope Savage (born
5 February 1980) is a Nigerian singer, songwriter, performer and actress. She
is currently signed to Sony/ATV Music Publishing as a songwriter. She signed a recording contract
with Mavin Records in 2012. Her debut studio album, Once Upon a
Time, was released on 3 July 2013, second studio album, R.E.D, was
released on 19 December 2015. She has received different awards since the
launch of her career, they include one MTV Africa Music Award,
two The Headies Awards, one Channel O Music Video Award, one
Nigeria Music Video Award, and two City People Entertainment Award
She was born
in Ikeja, Lagos State. Her family relocated to London when she
was 11 years old. While attending high school, she was a trombone player
for her school's orchestra band. Savage had a healthy upbringing; she grew up
in a multicultural setting due to her migration from Nigeria to the United
Kingdom, and from the United Kingdom to the United States. After graduating
with a degree in Business administration from the University of
Kent, Savage started working at The Royal Bank of Scotland. She did
backup vocals for 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, amongst others. Furthermore, she has performed on
stage with Sting, 50 Cent, The Black Eyed
Peas, Eminem, Robbie Williams and Destiny's Child, among
others.
In 2006, Savage
participated in the UK edition of The X Factor and advanced
to the final 24 while attending music school. In 2009, Sony/ATV Music
Publishing signed Savage to a music deal. The deal solidified her to write
for Baby face, Kat Deluna, Fantasia
Barrino, Monica and Mýa. She has received song writing credits
for her contribution to Monica's soul-tinged ballad "Catch Me".
Moreover, 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 Kat Deluna's "Push Push",
featuring Akon and David Guetta. In as much as she likes writing
for other artists, she finds writing for herself more rewarding. Savage
performed background vocals on Whitney Houston's album I Look to
You (2009).
In December 2011, she
co-hosted the second season of Nigerian Idol alongside IllRymz.
Moreover, she made her film debut in the stage adaptation of For
Coloured Girls.
She became the first
African female artist to be associated with the Pepsi brand after
signing an endorsement deal with them. She has been involved in many youth
empowerment and breast cancer screening projects across Nigeria. She helped
raise money for an organisation that builds schools in her hometown.
In July 2013, Savage
signed an endorsement deal with MTN Nigeria reportedly worth ₦30 million. She
also signed endorsement deals with Pepsi, Forte oil, Maggi and
Pampers Nigeria.
She is one of the
successful and career driven women in the music industry. She has been able to
leverage on the talent to achieve success on many fronts.