From her early days in the UK, studying at Berklee College of Music and working behind the scenes as a songwriter and background vocalist for artists like Mary J. Blige and Whitney Houston to her return to Nigeria at a time when the modern Afrobeats movement was still taking shape, Tiwa Savage’s career has been defined by timing, instinct, and a clear understanding of where the culture was headed.
When she signed with Mavin Records under Don Jazzy, it placed her at the heart of a new era in Nigerian music, one that would go on to dominate global charts, festivals, and conversations. Over the years, she has moved seamlessly between sounds and markets, collaborating across continents while maintaining a distinct identity rooted in Africa. Few artists have managed that balance with the same consistency.
But if her career has shown anything, it is that longevity is rarely about staying in one place. It is about knowing when to shift and, more importantly, why.
The launch of the Tiwa Savage Foundation, in partnership with Berklee College of Music, marks one of those shifts. On paper, it is an initiative designed to train emerging African creatives across performance, songwriting, production, and the business of music. In practice, it feels like something more considered. It draws directly from her own journey, from formal training to real-world industry experience and translates that into something structured, accessible, and, crucially, scalable.
Because, for all the global success of Afrobeats, the reality behind the scenes is more complex. The industry has produced stars at an impressive rate, but the ecosystem, producers, sound engineers, and business infrastructure have not always evolved at the same pace. It is a gap she has experienced from both sides: as a young creative trying to find her footing, and as an established artist navigating the demands of an industry still building itself in real time.
This is where the Foundation situates itself.
This is not a vanity extension of a successful career. If anything, it is a natural progression, one that reflects not just where she is, but what she has seen along the way. In this conversation with Yinka Olatubosun, she speaks not just as an artist, but as someone thinking carefully about structure, sustainability, and what it means to create opportunity that outlives you.
Congratulations, Tiwa, on the launch of your Foundation. Was there a defining moment in your career that made you realise it was time to build something beyond music, and why did this feel like the right moment to finally take that step?
Thank you very much. Music has been my life for over two decades, and one of the most transformative moments in my journey was receiving a scholarship to study at Berklee College of Music. That experience completely expanded my understanding of music. I was taught all aspects of the music industry, including performance, songwriting, film scoring, mixing engineering, and the business of music.
Being in that environment showed me that when talent is supported with the right education and exposure, great things happen.
Building this Foundation has been a dream of mine since I graduated from Berklee, and my team and I have been working on it for well over 5 years. The idea was born from a deep desire to give African students the same kind of opportunity I received, which essentially changed my life.
Going right in, how much of your personal experience would you say shaped the direction and structure of the Foundation?
My entire experience at Berklee shaped the Foundation significantly. Studying there exposed me to the full ecosystem of music, songwriting, production, music business, scoring, publishing, and the technical side of how global hits are created and distributed.
It helped me understand that sustainable success in music is built on knowledge, structure, and collaboration, not just talent. That perspective influenced the Foundation’s direction to ensure that African students are not only developing creatively but also gaining the technical and strategic tools needed to compete globally.
I wanted the programme to reflect the reality of the modern music industry, which is diverse, innovative, and increasingly influenced by technology.
What made Berklee the right partner for this, and what does this collaboration represent for African music education?
Berklee College of Music is the world’s number 1 contemporary music school. When I received a scholarship about 20 years ago, it opened doors for me and broadened my understanding of what a music career could look like beyond being an artist. Berklee created an environment for me as an African artist that was not only able to learn genres like jazz, classical, R&B, gospel, things I wasn’t fully exposed to before, but at the same time, not lose my identity and my African roots.
This collaboration is about creating the same opportunity I was given, but scaling it so more young Africans can benefit. It allows us to create a bridge between African talent and world-class education. It represents access, exposure, and the chance for African students to develop skills that position them not just as participants in the global industry, but as leaders within it.
How does this programme differ from the more traditional forms of music mentorship we’ve seen in Nigeria?
Traditional mentorship is great, and this programme is designed as an educational pipeline. Participants will gain exposure to areas such as music production, songwriting, scoring, publishing, music business, sound design, and emerging fields like AI in music.
We are not only preparing artists. We are preparing industry leaders who can build sustainable careers and contribute to the long-term growth of African music as an economic force.
You’re not just focusing on artists, but on the entire ecosystem — production, business, and technical skills. Why was that important to you?
One of the biggest lessons from my education was that music is not just about the artist we see on stage. Behind every successful record is a network of professionals shaping the sound, protecting the intellectual property, building strategy, and creating opportunities.
I wanted the Foundation to reflect that reality by exposing students to the full spectrum of careers within music — production, songwriting, sound engineering, business, scoring, and emerging fields like music technology and AI. By developing expertise across the ecosystem, we ensure that African talent is represented at every level of the global industry.
Some participants may advance to Berklee while others continue their journey within Nigeria. How does the Foundation plan to track its progress and measure long-term success?
Success will be measured both qualitatively and quantitatively. We will track academic progress, especially for students who end up receiving the full scholarship to attend Berklee in Boston to pursue their undergraduate degree.
However, long-term success is not only about individual achievements. It is about how participants go on to impact the wider industry, create jobs, and inspire others.
We are building a network of alumni who will continue to support one another, ensuring the impact multiplies over time.
This already feels like a legacy project. What structures are you putting in place to ensure sustainability beyond the initial cohorts?
Sustainability is built into the structure of the Foundation through partnerships, strategic funding models, and long-term educational collaborations.
We are also creating governance frameworks that allow the Foundation to operate independently of any single individual. The vision is to build an institution that continues to evolve and support future generations long after the founding cohort. Eventually, my dream is to build an actual Berklee flagship school here in Nigeria and expand across the whole of Africa.
On the scholarship pathways, what key performance indicators will determine who progresses to the next level?
Progression will be based on a combination of academic performance, creative output, commitment, collaboration, and leadership potential.
We are looking for individuals who not only demonstrate talent but also discipline, curiosity, and the willingness to contribute positively to the ecosystem.
Is there a roadmap to expand this programme to other African cities, or will it remain centred in Lagos for now?
Yes, that’s the plan. Lagos is a natural starting point because it is one of the cultural capitals of African music, and it is also my hometown. Like I said, the long-term vision is pan-African. Talent exists in every corner of the continent, and the goal is to eventually create access points across multiple African cities, ensuring that geography is not a limitation to opportunity.
Do you see yourself eventually stepping back from music to focus more on initiatives like this, or will both continue to run side by side?
No. Never. I will sing till the very end, just like many of the great legends I admire who are still performing till today. This Foundation is not a departure from music; it is an extension of it. Both will continue side by side because creating impact within the industry is just as meaningful to me as creating music.
If you could give your younger self one piece of advice before stepping into the industry, what would it be?
I would tell my younger self that your journey will not always follow the timeline you expect, but every season has purpose.
Stay curious, stay disciplined, and never allow anyone else’s pace to define your value. Longevity is built on growth, not comparison.
You’ve had a career that has evolved across continents, sounds, and eras of African music. At this stage of your journey, what does success look like to you now?
Success now is about impact. It is about creating pathways that make the journey easier for the next generation than it was for mine.
For me, success is seeing the Tiwa Savage Music Foundation as a fully-fledged brick-and-mortar building here in Lagos—a place where students from all over the world will come for a world-class education in music.
Beyond the charts and accolades, what has this journey taught you about yourself?
This journey has really shown me that I’m resilient, patient, and how strong my faith in God really is. It has shown me that purpose often reveals itself gradually, through both victories and challenges.
