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Wafricnews - June 22, 2025

Afrobeats superstar Tiwa Savage has revealed she wouldn’t encourage her son, Jamal, to pursue a career in music—despite her global success in the industry.

Speaking in a heartfelt conversation on Afrobeats Intelligence with Joey Akan, the award-winning singer opened up about the pressures, uncertainty, and sacrifices that come with life in the spotlight.

According to Tiwa, the music industry is far more demanding than most people realize. While outsiders see the glitz and glamour, she says artists often face crushing mental and financial pressures.

“The success rate in this business is very slim,” Tiwa explained. “Even if you’re lucky to have hits, the journey doesn’t get easier. A music career might not last ten years—it might not even last five. And when you’re not making as much money as people think, yet you still have to maintain that image, it messes with your mental health.”

Tiwa, who has spent over a decade at the top of Nigeria’s music scene, said the harsh realities of fame are the main reason she wouldn’t want her son in the same line of work.

Beyond the industry’s instability, she also spoke about the personal toll fame has taken on her as a mother. Reflecting on the COVID-19 lockdown, Tiwa recalled how working from her home studio blurred the lines between her music and motherhood.

“I had a studio at home and would be up at 2 a.m., not even recording sometimes, just vibing,” she said. “But I noticed I wasn’t spending quality time with my son. It wasn’t healthy. I couldn’t separate work from home—and I didn’t like that. I want to be able to leave work and come home, especially for my son’s sake.”

The Somebody’s Son hitmaker also revisited the early struggles of her career, when she was boxed in by expectations. She remembered how people tried to label her as the “African Rihanna,” and how her fusion of R&B and Afrobeats was initially met with doubt from record labels.

“They’d say I looked great and had the talent, but I never got the callback,” she said. “A lot of people didn’t believe in the sound.”

Today, Tiwa Savage stands as one of the defining voices of African pop music. But for her, the road was anything but easy—and that’s why she’s careful about the path her son might take.


By Wafricnews Desk.

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