The Tiwa Savage Sex Tape Seems Staged

Captured from the Tiwa Savage video     

 What is trending within the Nigerian music circle, at the moment, is the topic of Tiwa Savage’s Sex Tape. I first saw it on YouTube, but shoved it aside –I had other issues on my mind when I logged into YouTube that day. Later, I saw it on Facebook, when a former Nigerian Senator commented on it, saying he would faint should he dare watch the video.

When I decided to watch it on YouTube finally, it wasn’t the full tape. It was a short slot shown in an interview in which Savage was hosted. The interview was on something else, but the Nigerian singer changed the trajectory of the discussion by introducing the story of the sex tape in a manner that seemed so unnatural. If she had failed to bring it up, the interview would have gone without the host asking anything about it. To her, it is an accomplishment the world needs to know.

The idea of a sex tape is an American subject. It was trending in the US for some time until the tide of events brought forth other issues that drowned the topic of sex tapes. Scandals about sex tapes seem old-fashioned. It was in connection with top American celebrities. It never happened anywhere else. At least we never heard it happening somewhere outside the US. Now, it is “happening” in Nigeria, not in the UK, not in Germany, not in France and not in Italy. It seems Nigeria is in a rush to narrow the gap between it and the US, at least on this subject.

There is no doubt that Savage is the Nigerian diva. If, however, some Nigerians, including Savage, are of the notion that stardom for a woman is never fully accomplished without a sex tape, then they have got it wrong. There hasn’t been any sex tape in connection with Beyoncé! There hasn’t been any in connection with Brandy whom Savage recently featured in one of her songs, “Somebody’s Son”! Neither has there been any in connection with Rihanna. Yet, these American women are among the most accomplished global music superstars.

The tape was, allegedly, recorded after Savage came out of a concert in Lagos. So, what it means is that immediately she ends any concert, the next thing is to have sex. I thought the next thing would be to shower. So, who is that Nigerian that has become so sophisticated (or rather stupid) to conceive this idea? How did he break into the hotel room to plant the camera without being noticed? Why was Savage in a rush to break the news?

Nigerians haven’t that kind of liberal culture. What we have is this warped notion that we are big when things happening in the US also happen in Nigeria. Sadly, Savage is of that notion as well. I had thought she had grown past the circle of people with this mindset. It is fine to put on revealing dresses in a music video and dance in a very seductive manner, but I think that there will be a problem if a video comes out that features you having sex.

Tiwa Savage was married to her former manager, Tunji Balogun until another sex scandal led them to end the marriage that had yielded a son. Since then, she had remained single, preferring to date, rather than get married. Meanwhile, she has continued to occupy the front seat of Nigerian and African Avant-Garde. But she needs to understand that a sex tape does not consummate stardom and that she needs to keep things real.

Music and Your Community

I had just finished watching one of Tekno’s music videos when I decided to write this.  The video brought to mind the immense musical talent of the artist. I was compelled to recall a well-popularized fiasco when he performed in Kenya, sometimes in 2017, when I was left wondering how things went wrong for one who is so vastly talented.  

What often comes to mind, each time I recall that Kenya incident, is what a Kenyan fan had said while spitting his frustration. The guy posted on Facebook, that Kenyans do not wish to shape their music in the path of the Nigerian music industry. The statement could mean that he knows that Kenyan music was supposed to sound Kenyan. But since no Nigerian had asked Kenyans to design their music to sound Nigerian, the implication is that he is ignorant that music is supposed to mirror the community from which it is born.

Music is an art. Art is the creation of beauty. Art will never expect Kenyans to design their music to sound Nigerian. If you come to Nigeria, you will know that we listen to music from everywhere around the world. Even though we listen to all these forms, we only get inspired to create music that is ours, music in which you find the Nigerian character, notably in the parlance, dance, costume, and remnants of Nigeria’s music past.

So, what is expected from Kenyan music artists is for them to get inspiration by any good music, not minding where it comes from. The spin from the music would then trigger new songs, songs that would endure through generations. Yes, music that mirrors society from where it was created endures, as it makes the people proud, playing what they feel belongs to them. On the other hand, music that fails to reflect the community from which it comes is fleeting, like a candle in the rain.

To end this, I want to recount what I learned reading the history of Reggae. According to the article, Reggae is the end result of the mimicry of American pop. The music evolved to embody a Jamaican identity, a character in which there is only a small fragment of the American music culture. It is the same with Nigerian contemporary music industry. When it started, I was a strong critic of the music, asking why there is that constant effort to sound American. But just about a decade and a half later, we can confidently say that we have finally found our own music independence as well. If the Kenyan music industry is still uncharacteristic of Kenya, they should just carry on. Eventually, it will begin to reflect a Kenyan identity.