Tiwa Savage recently opened up about the major shift in her style—and the surprising person behind it.
Speaking on the Afrobeats Intelligence podcast with Joey Akan, the singer shared that long before becoming known for her bold, confident image, she was just a laid-back tomboy writing songs in oversized jeans and t-shirts.
That all changed when she met her former manager and ex-husband, Tunji “Teebillz” Balogun. According to Tiwa, he was the one who helped transform her look entirely.
“When I started out, sexy wasn’t my thing at all,” she recalled. “But Teebillz saw something else. He told me, ‘You need to hit the gym, wax your brows, wear wigs…’ He really switched it up.”
The turning point came when she returned to Nigeria, newly married and eager to step into the spotlight as a performer. The release of her music video for Wanted stirred conversation—some of it critical.
“There were whispers that I was done, that my time had passed. I felt like, if people thought I wasn’t desirable anymore, then I was going to prove them wrong,” she said. “That wasn’t even my goal, but it became a statement.”
Still, her bold fashion choices didn’t always sit well with audiences back home. She remembered being sidelined at shows and even getting banned from performing because of her outfits. One of her early hits, Love Me, was even pulled from television.
“It got really hard. I went back to L.A. at one point,” she admitted. “But then Bizzle called and said, ‘Women love you here.’ That gave me the courage to return and keep pushing.”
Tiwa also recalled how she was turned away by every major record label at the start of her career. “I went to them all—Storm Records, Mo’Hits, EME. Everyone said no.”
Despite the setbacks, her transformation and resilience helped carve out a space no one else was occupying. What started as a rebrand turned into a revolution—on her own terms.
