Recorded exclusively for BBC Radio 1Xtra at BBC Maida Vale Studios, Nigerian singer-songwriter Tiwa Savage launches her highly anticipated album ‘This One is Personal’ with an exclusive interview and special live performance.
In front of an intimate audience of family and friends, Tiwa Savage performed four tracks live from her upcoming album – Angel Dust, Holding It Down, 10% and On The Low. She also sat down with 1Xtra’s DJ Target for an in-depth discussion about the album, breaking down each track and covering topics from relationships and dating, to identifying as an Afrobeats artist, getting a doctorate in music and offering her advice for young artists.
1Xtra’s Album Launch Party with Tiwa Savage is available to listen to on BBC Sounds and will air on DJ Target’s 1Xtra show on Monday 1 September at 8pm. The show is also available to watch exclusively on 1Xtra’s YouTube channel and BBC iPlayer.
Tiwa Savage on why this album is so personal:
“It took two years to do and I was recording and recording and recording it, and I said going into this project, listen, growing up as a child when I’m heartbroken I listen to Brandy and those kinda love songs or heartbreak songs. I didn’t have any Afrobeat record like that to reference, and I didn’t want to not create something like that for women like me who, you know, are going through what I went through the last two years because it was a really really dark time for me. And I was recording it and my team kept saying ‘what’s the name of the album? What’s the album name?’ [and I kept saying] I don’t have a name, this one is so personal to me and my team were like ‘that’s it.’”
Tiwa Savage on not shying away from being labelled an Afrobeats artist:
“The title itself doesn’t box you; it’s just for people to be able to identity whatever it is you’re doing. So for me, being called an Afrobeats artist, there’s no problem with it.
“We’ve known Beyonce to be like an RnB artist, and she just did a Country record, and she executed it exceptionally well. So, being an Afrobeats artist does not limit me because I’ve just proven that, yeah, I can do an RnB album as well. I’m not stuck up on the title.”
Tiwa Savage on still living through the album:
“These are songs that I’m also really saying to myself like man I don’t know if I can go through that again, like maybe I really am done, maybe it’s just me and my son. But then he always says to me ‘so mum what are you gonna do when I get married’ and I’m like hmm…I’ll move in with you and your wife!”
1Xtra’s Album Launch Party with Tiwa Savage is available on BBC Sounds and can be heard on DJ Target’s show on BBC Radio 1Xtra on Monday 1 September at 8pm. Tiwa Savage’s live performances from Maida Vale can be watched exclusively 1Xtra’s YouTube Channel and on BBC iPlayer.
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