By Lateefah Adesanya
When Tiwa Savage burst onto the Nigerian music scene 3 years ago she took everyone by surprise, her rise to fame has been meteoric since and even without an album to her name, Tiwa Savage is one of those most talked about celebrities in the land, her face dominates magazine covers and her videos get people talking.
See below 5 Ways Tiwa shook up the Nigerian entertainment industry
1. CONTROVERSY
Tiwa Savage didn’t become the biggest female music artiste of recent times by virtue of her talent alone, she danced, flipped her weave and flaunted her goodies all the way to the top, like she was personally schooled by the great Beyonce herself!
Though she has opted for a more mature style in the last year, when she made her debut in 2010, Miss Savage wore the shortest skirts, bared her lady lumps and had the collective pulses of African men racing.
The ‘Love Me 3x’ video comes to mind, she had the industry shake, men wanted to be with her and women hated her! The sexualised video was a bit too much for the conservative Nigerian culture and promptly got banned on local TV. But rather than cause her to fade into obscurity she got people talking.
2. PICTURE PERFECT IMAGE
Tiwa understands perfectly the essence of branding oneself. With her perfectly coiffed hair, flawless make up and toned physique, she had her female contemporaries signing up to their nearest gyms in order to keep up. Brand Tiwa isn’t your run off the mill singer trying to make a buck,a this girl rolls with a full glam squad, hair, make up and stylist to boot! Tiwa rocks gowns not just by Nigerian designers but high-end foreign designers like Stella McCartney, Alexander Wang and Christian Louboutin take pride of place in her extensive wardrobe.
3. ENDORSEMENT DREAM
Her superstar status was sealed last year when she signed a deal said to be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars with Pepsi. Now her face and likeness are plastered across billboards and the back of Pepsi trucks across the country.
4. A PARTY AIN’T A PARTY UNTIL TIWA COMES THROUGH
Be it an awards show or a store opening, your event isn’t popping if Tiwa isn’t coming…period! Even if it’s just to smile and look pretty for the cameras, having the name ‘Tiwa Savage’ attached to your event guarantees you column inches.
5. PUBLIC PERSONAL LIFE
She has tried to keep her private life to herself, but her recent engagement to her manager Tee Billz, which was filmed, and broadcast across TV and Internet just shows how fascinated people are by her.
So there you have it, that’s the Tiwa Savage manual to stardom. It may or may not work for you, just ask all the other female artistes coming after her trying to jack her swag.
(c) Star Music
