Award-winning singer Tiwa Savage has spoken openly about the sexual pressures female artists face in the Nigerian music industry, revealing that demands for sex in exchange for opportunities remain a major barrier for many women pursuing their careers.
Speaking during a session at Entertainment Week Africa, Tiwa Savage recounted personal experiences that highlighted the entrenched exploitation she and other female artistes contend with.
The musician said she was repeatedly told to go and “personally see” powerful male executives before she could secure slots on certain shows.
“I had been told that if I don’t go and see this ‘chairman’ personally, I would not be put on a show,” Savage revealed.
She said such requests were often framed as mandatory, making it clear that compliance, not talent, determined access to opportunities.
The music star also described a painful incident where she lost a lucrative endorsement deal because she refused a sexual advance from a company stakeholder.
“I lost an endorsement because I refused to go to Dubai with a man who is one of the owners of the company,” she said.
According to her, the situation made it clear that some executives were more interested in exploiting her body than in nurturing her artistry.
Savage said the experience was a turning point in her career, forcing her to confront an uncomfortable reality about how female performers are objectified.
“That was when I realised that they don’t value my talent but my body, which I was only flaunting as part of branding,” she said.
She explained that while her choice of image was part of her creative identity and brand positioning, exploitative male executives reduced it to an invitation for sexual advances.
“It ended up hurting me because that is all they were seeing,” she added.
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