There’s a vacuum in the female arm of Nigerian pop music: Who will step up?
When Tiwa Savage broke into the Nigerian mainstream, she brought along the captivating vocals and sensuality of a talent forged by R&B music of the 90s and early 2000s.
This allure won her the admiration of listeners who appreciated the depth of her artistry and courage to become a sex symbol in a highly conservative society.
However, what won Tiwa Savage mainstream success and the respect of the mass market was her ability to deliver songs that move the street.
This willingness to operate at the lowest level of mass consumption, especially through guest appearances that had her running circles around street-dominating male stars, not only helped Tiwa Savage connect with the street but also gave the female arm of the industry a much-needed representation.
In 2018, a year she won the MTV EMA for Best African Act, Tiwa Savage jumped on DJ Enimoney’s street anthem ‘Diet’ featuring iconic rapper Reminisce and era-defining hitmaker Slimcase, whose Shaku Shaku sound was dominating the scene.
If her stardom, mesmerising R&B abilities, and sensuality are considered, a street pop record like ‘Diet’ that embraces part of what many consider an undesirable reality of life in the city will be maybe unbefitting of her status.
This is the elitist mindset that could have spurred her to create a wedge between herself her that side of the industry.
However, Tiwa Savage extended herself, embraced this section of the industry, and delivered an all-time verse.
She embraced the status of a reliable contributor whose verse can turn a good song into a much better one. It’s the reason Kizz Daniel called on her when he wanted to remix his breakout single ‘Woju’, and Spyro would do the same for ‘Who Is Your Guy’ remix 7 years later.
Whether it was next to street-dominating rapper Olamide, Dancehall maestro Patoranking, or legendary highlife fussing hitmaker Duncan Mighty, Tiwa Savage held her own.
Even when she was not at the peak of her powers, she boldly ventured into the sonic territory of a red-hot Asake on their collaboration ‘Loaded’.
Amidst the current wave of Afrobeats global patronage, this representation that Tiwa Savage boldly and selflessly offered is now evidently missing.
While male stars are continuously jumping on sounds and sonic trends that capture the pulse of the inner city listeners through new strains of street pop and popular slang, their female counterparts have elected to keep it posh.
A Missing Female Voice at the Level of Mass Consumption
Tiwa Savage is Afrobeats royalty; however, the baton of giving the female arm of the industry a representation at the mass level of local consumption has been handed down to a new generation of stars who, for some reason, just don’t seem quite keen on discharging their duties as selflessly as she did.
In the past three years, there have been several songs that were big moments that needed a female representation as well as strategic collaborations, which no female stars appear keen on reaching the other side of the aisle to facilitate.
Take, for example, Boypee, Hyce, and Brown Joel’s ‘Ogechi’ remix featuring Davido, and more recently, Shoday, Poco Lee, and Raman Jago’s ‘Hey Jago,’ 5 years ago, these are songs that Tiwa Savage can be reliably predicted to appear on.
When we consider why the new set of female stars are shying away from extending themselves as Tiwa Savage did, some possible reasons come to mind.
