Afrobeats singer Tiwa Savage has opened up on feeling unhappy about her African heritage while growing up in London to embracing it with pride due to the global impact of Afrobeats.
Speaking at the Unstoppable Africans event, she attributed the genre’s success to its ability to showcase the continent’s positive image.
According to Savage, Afrobeats is the fastest-growing genre in the world, achieving remarkable success despite lacking support and infrastructure.
“Afrobeats is the fastest growing genre in the world. We kind of created it with nothing; no support, no infrastructure, no real belief even from our own people initially.
“I remember growing up in London and I was not happy being African. But now I’m so proud because of how big Afrobeats is growing,” she said.
She dismissed claims that Afrobeats is declining, pointing to its increasing presence on charts and sold-out stadium performances.
Savage emphasised the genre’s unstoppable momentum, noting that one in every four black persons is either Nigerian or African, which underscores its potential for continued growth.
“There was a conversation at one point that Afrobeats is going to have its 15 minutes of fame and then fades away. But we are still here. We are not slowing down. In fact, we are filling out stadiums, and we are getting the biggest songs on the charts right now.
“I don’t know how true this is, but apparently one in every four black persons is a Nigerian or an African.
“So, we are not going anywhere. As much as they are trying to quiet us down, the music is not going anywhere. We are Africans and we are unstoppable,” she remarked.
