There is no doubt at all that the year 2021 has indeed been eventful for popular singer, Tiwa Savage. From being involved in a ‘fight’ with fellow singer, Seyi Shay, to the release of her sex tape, the 41 year-old singer has proved that she can rise above any drama that comes her way.
In June, Savage and Shay exchanged words at a salon in Lekki, Lagos, where Tiwa accused her colleague of trying to form friendship with her after making attempts to spoil her name. It degenerated into a heated argument and Savage resorted to using swear words to buttress her argument.
However, the beef between the two top singers was reportedly settled when a parody Instagram account of Seyi Shay complimented Tiwa’s performance at the Global Citizen Concert held at The Great Lawn, New York, United States of America, in September. Tiwa, through her verified Instagram page, then acknowledged the comment, replying, “@seyishay…Thank you @glblctzn, thanks to everyone that came out to support, love y’all.”
Shortly after that, Tiwa was thrown into mourning when her close friend and Davido’s road manager, Habeeb Uthman, popularly known as Obama DMW, passed on. According to unconfirmed reports, she had been in a relationship with Uthman.
In an emotional tribute to Uthman, Tiwa wrote, “Someone said they tried to ruin your reputation but you saved theirs by not telling your story. I have never met anyone as brave/strong as you who was also as soft and kind as you. I don’t know why my cheesy jokes always made you laugh, you were ready to take a bullet for your loved ones.
“44 my black president, you chilling now, resting well, away from this cruel world. All your boys are a wreck, I’m sure you see them all crying like babies. You better tell them to be strong men. I’m allowed to cry, I’m a girl so, don’t try to console me, I won’t listen to you anyway.
“We are only burying your body today cause your beautiful spirit can never be contained in that sand and don’t worry, we got @manlikeabdul_omw. He must finish university or I would whoop his behind.”
However, just after Tiwa was getting over the loss of Uthman, her sex tape was released to the public in October. She faced severe backlash, with some criticizing her for recording a sexual encounter, despite being a public figure and role model to some. Meanwhile, many also stood by her, praising her bravery for shaming her blackmailer and telling the public about the incident.
Shortly before that, she had released her fifth album titled, ‘Water and Garri’, which contained the hit single, ‘Somebody’s Son’, featuring American singer, Brandy. The song is still making waves in the country and beyond.
Though many thought that the scandals she went through would leave a dent on her career, the singer has shrugged it off like water off a duck’s back. During her performance in Abuja on December 12, her son, Jamil, handed her some flowers on stage after her performance. To many of her fans, that act proved that the singer doesn’t just put her all in her career, she is also a family-oriented person.
The singer also gave a spectacular performance at the Livespot Festival in Lagos where she paid tributes to Sylvester Oromoni (the 12-year-old student of Dowen College murdered by his classmates), Baba Suwe, Sound Sultan, Rachel Oniga, and other persons who passed on this year.
As a testament to her popularity during the year, Tiwa featured prominently on the Google list of top searches in Nigeria. She was the most searched person in the country, as well as the most searched music artiste. Her name was more searched than even popular political actors such as Sunday Igboho and Nnamdi Kanu.
