One of the biggest African artists, Tiwa Savage has just concluded a new record deal with Universal Music Group. It’s reported to be a marquee deal, making Tiwa the first Nigerian female act to be signed to the label. The record deal was facilitated by Efe Ogbeni (Stealth Management/Regime), Executive Producer along with Vannessa Amadi-Ogbonna on all projects under the UMG deal.
The deal was signed with Joel Katz, Efe Ogbeni, Vanessa Amadi (Stealth Management), Sipho Dlamini Managing Director of Universal Music South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa (English-speaking), EVP, Market Development at Universal Worldwide Adam Granite, and Chairman and CEO of Universal Music Group Worldwide Sir Lucian Grainge present at the UMG offices in California on April 24, 2019.
It was widely believed, some years ago, that female musicians could not make as much impact or achieve as much as their male counterparts in Nigeria and Africa as a whole. In a music industry that is chiefly patriarchal, it was nearly unbelievable that a female artist would make headway and become one of the A-list artists representing the Nigerian music industry on a global scale. Tiwa Savage is quite easily one of the most talented singers and songwriters in Nigeria. Signing to Universal Music further validates Tiwa‘s status in the African music
Tiwa Savage has built her brand as an artist to a towering height. She is one of the few top Nigerian singers breaking into the international market at a fast pace. Her experience in the music industry, spanning from her songwriting days to being a backup singer, has proven useful in her career. She has won numerous awards including the MTV Europe Music Awards for Best African Act (the first African female to win the award) amidst scores of nominations.
Her fanbase has grown tremendously, making her one of the most followed celebrities in Nigeria (with over 6.6 million followers on Instagram).
In 2018, she became the first African female musician to sell out the Indigo O2 in London. Toward the end of the year, she was chosen by Coldplay‘s lead singer Chris Martin alongside Beyonce, Jay Z, Ed Sheeran, as one of the acts to perform at the Global Citizen Festival in Johannesburg to an audience of about 70,000 people. She already has performances lined up at different international festivals for summer 2019 including the UK’s Wireless Festival, Afropunk in Paris and Oh My! Festival in Amsterdam.
Efe Ogbeni and Vanessa Amadi-Ogbonna said after the conclusion of the deal;
“We’re very proud to be a part of this ground-breaking partnership between Tiwa Savage and Universal Music Group. Tiwa is undoubtedly the most hardworking and talented female artist crossing over from Africa to the rest of the world, and UMG has demonstrated its commitment to the continent by placing its formidable machinery behind her amazing career. Partnerships like these symbolize the hopes and dreams of so many talented artists back home in Africa and it is an honor to be the executive producers of her project.”
Also, Adam Granite EVP Market Development, Universal Music Group said;
“We are looking forward to partnering with Tiwa and her team to help her music reach new audiences around the world. As one of Africa’s most successful, influential and dynamic singer-songwriters, Tiwa has truly global ambitions and UMG is committed to helping her in achieving them.”
