Tiwa Savage

Savage triggered controversy by publicly rejecting the Afrobeats "Big Three" narrative, a term generally reserved for Wizkid, Davido and Burna Boy, and arguing in particular for the inclusion of Tems and other artists.

State of the evidence

Documented

Legal status — source text

Not applicable

Attribution

Personally implicated

During an American interview, Savage attempted to explain the South African meaning of the term "Coloured" and apologised to African Americans on Tyla's behalf. The intervention prompted criticism, particularly in South Africa, where some accused her of speaking for Tyla and yielding to an American interpretation of the term.

State of the evidence

Documented

Legal status — source text

Not applicable

Attribution

Personally implicated

Tiwa Savage contacted Lagos police in January 2024, alleging that Davido had threatened and harassed her following a dispute involving personal relationships. The complaint turned a celebrity quarrel into a widely reported police controversy.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Protagonist is the complainant

In April 2023, four individuals were charged in Lagos with an alleged conspiracy to defraud Tiwa Savage and sending messages causing her reasonable fear for her life.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Protagonist is the victim

Role of the person profiled

Protagonist is the victim

The announcement of Tiwa Savage's participation in Charles III's coronation concert provoked mixed reactions in Nigeria: pride in the international visibility of a Nigerian artist, but also criticism from those who considered her participation incompatible with Britain's colonial history.

State of the evidence

Documented

Legal status — source text

Not applicable

Attribution

Directly implicated

A verbal confrontation between Tiwa Savage and Seyi Shay in a Lagos salon went viral after several years of public and musical tensions between the two artists.

State of the evidence

Documented

Legal status — source text

Not applicable

Attribution

Directly implicated

Savage revealed that someone was threatening to publish an intimate sexual video and demanding money. She refused to pay and publicly disclosed the blackmail before the video was released.

State of the evidence

Documented

Role of the person profiled

Protagonist is the victim

Singer Danny Young sued Tiwa Savage and Mavin Records for 200 million naira, alleging that the song "One" used elements of his work "Oju Tiwon" without authorisation. The parties subsequently reached an amicable settlement and discontinued the litigation.

State of the evidence

Settlement

Attribution

Accused

In April 2016, Tunji "TeeBillz" Balogun, Tiwa Savage's husband and former manager, publicly accused her of infidelity. Savage responded by denying the accusations and alleging, among other things, financial mismanagement, drug use and abandonment of the family, announcing the end of the marriage.

State of the evidence

Allegations

Legal status — source text

Not applicable

Attribution

Directly implicated