Nigerian singer Tiwa Savage has revealed that her current “sexy diva” persona was not her natural inclination, disclosing that she was a “tomboy” before embarking on her music career.

In a recent episode of the Afrobeats Intelligence podcast hosted by Joey Akan, Savage explained that during her time as a songwriter abroad, she typically wore baggy clothes. It was only after meeting her ex-husband and former manager, Tunji “Teebillz” Balogun, that her image underwent a significant transformation.

She recounted how Teebillz spearheaded her rebranding into a sex symbol after she relocated to Nigeria to pursue a singing career. “The sexiness in my 2024 single ‘Wanted’ music video felt groundbreaking at that time. 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. 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,” she explained.

Savage detailed the extent of his influence: “But again, 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. I used to be a songwriter in the studio wearing baggy jeans and T-Shirt. And he literally changed that.”

She believes Teebillz aimed to create an “African Rihanna or Beyoncé” but acknowledged the initial backlash she faced in Nigeria for her new fashion sense, which even led her to temporarily return to Los Angeles. Savage shared that she faced criticism and even had her song ‘Love Me’ banned from TV, but the encouragement from a friend, Bizzle, and the support of female fans brought her back to Nigeria. She also recalled being rejected by major labels like Storm Records, Mo’Hits, and Banky W’s EME before finding her breakthrough.

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