Tiwa Savage is showing us a side we don’t always see. On the cover of HUNGER Magazine’s Issue 36: Trust Your Gut ,she isn’t just looking stylish, she’s also speaking honestly about her life, her music, and everything in between.
Her new album This One Is Personal is exactly what the name says. It’s raw, emotional, and full of honesty. She admits that the songs were born from one of the toughest heartbreaks she’s ever experienced, and recording them was more about healing than anything else. Even though the sound leans into R&B, Tiwa still carries her Afrobeats energy, proving she can mix both worlds.
During her interview with HUNGER, she shared how it felt performing the new tracks for the very first time.
How 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.
You’ve spoken about how the new album is your most personal yet and how it was difficult to record at times. What was going on while you were writing?
A very, very bad heartbreak that nearly took me out. I started a whole other project of Afrobeats club tracks, but in the studio I couldn’t connect. So I said to my team, In order to do these records, I have to get this one out. I said, It has to be a different type of album, because I’m carrying so much in me ,I need to do this for me. And now, seeing how it’s connecting with people is incredible, you know?
What was it like 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.
Would you describe yourself as a hopeless romantic?
People have told me that I’m not very emotional when I’m in a relationship. I don’t have to hold hands while walking down the street. I hate spooning. I don’t need flowers or rose petals on the floor. But I do like long conversations on the phone. If he’s like, Babe, my business is saying this and this, what do you think? That’s my love language: trusting you enough to be involved in the major decisions he has to make.
For Tiwa, this moment isn’t just about an album. She’s stepping into what she calls her “mogul era,” planning to grow her influence beyond music into fashion, beauty, and other ventures. She’s thinking long-term, building not just hits but a legacy.
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