By Osagie Alonge
It’s taken about two and a half years since she arrived in Nigeria to launch her career. But it’s definitely been worth the wait…
On July 4, 2013 MAVIN singer Tiwa Savage released her debut LP titled ‘Once Upon a Time’, a project she’s spent the last year working on in and out of the country, after dominating the Nigerian music scene with chart topping singles and videos.
It all started with ‘Kele kele’ love, her Nigerian debut which introduced her in 2010. Produced by US producer Harmony Samuels and released while Tiwa was still in the US, the song topped the charts immediately but it was the follow up single ‘Love me, Love me, Love me’ that won the hearts of Nigerians –a fan base ranging from female teenagers to grown women and of course the male folk.
Three more singles (Without my love ft Don Jazzy, Ife wa gbona and Folarin), fast forward to 2013 and she’s released the body of work which we would like to describe as a ‘Producer’s album’. The album released under 323 Entertainment/Mavin Records consists of 21 tracks (20 songs + a Disneyland inspired intro) and features the likes of Don Jazzy, General Pype, Iceberg Slim, Sarkodie, Flavour, Leo Wonder with production from Mavin boss Don Jazzy, US producers Warren ‘OAK’ Felder, Harmony Samuels, 323’s Spellz and a few others.
‘It’s been a long time coming but we’ve tried to make sure we produce something we know would be cherished for a very long time’, Tunji ‘T-Billz’ Balogun, Tiwa Savage’s manager and head of 323 Entertainment tells NET.
