The Queen of Afrobeats, Tiwa Savage, has stepped into a new creative realm with the release of her album, “This One Is Personal.” After nearly two decades of dominating the global music scene, the Grammy-nominated artist has delivered her most vulnerable body of work yet, a 16-track project that is as raw as it is unguarded.
Released just hours before her headlining show at London’s KOKO, the album is a profound journey back to her R&B roots. “It’s the most vulnerable I’ve ever been on a record,” Savage shared in an interview, revealing that the project took two years to create. Each track is a deeply personal reflection of her life’s experiences, exploring themes of heartbreak and healing. The album features carefully selected collaborations with Skepta, Taves, and James Fauntleroy, all of whom contribute to the intimate and cohesive sound.
Now gracing the cover of Hunger Magazine, Tiwa Savage opens up about the emotional process behind the album. She admits that the stories within some of the songs are so fresh and personal that she’s not yet ready to perform them live, a testament to the raw emotion poured into every lyric. “This One Is Personal” is more than just an album; it’s a testament to her courage as an artist to shed her armour and connect with her audience on a level she’s never dared to before. It’s an album that reaffirms her status as a musical icon while showcasing a new, fearless chapter in her celebrated career.
How it was performing the new album live for the first time
“It was amazing, but I was nervous! We only announced the show in London forty-eight hours before the date. The album had just come out, so I was like, Oh my God, they’re not going to sing along to the words. Afrobeats is upbeat, you know, people are dancing, singing back to you, and the [new album] leans more into R&B. But people were really encouraging me. I’m still tryna get my head around all the words, and they were like, Sing, girl! When you do stuff that is authentic to you, real to you, you win all the time.”
On working with Skepta on ‘On The Low’
“Now that was a nice break from being in the studio, pouring my heart out, to being in the studio with a really hot guy. I was like, Ah! Okay… This is a nice transition! Aside from that, he’s a talented man of his word. He said he liked it, was going to jump on it and then sent me his verse the next morning.”
On being told at twenty-seven that she was ‘too old’ to be signed, and recently hitting back at someone on X who told her to stop singing and “get married and rest”
“I used to resent my age and say, Why did I start so late? But now I see that there’s actually a reason. God is using me to encourage people beyond music. You could be twenty-five and not be signed and think that’s too late, but you can always look at Tiwa Savage and be like, Yo, it could still happen to me. I don’t shy away from my age. I always find ways to talk about it, embrace it. Nothing anyone can tell me is gonna stop me from doing what I want to do. I’m gonna be singing in a wheelchair, I’m still gonna be looking hot and I can still take your man.”
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