Afrobeats made me proud to be African – Tiwa Savage

Tiwa Savage says Afrobeats made her proud of her African roots, recalling a time she felt unhappy being African while growing up in London.

Afrobeats superstar Tiwa Savage has revealed that she once felt unhappy about her African identity while growing up in London, but now proudly embraces it thanks to the global success of Afrobeats.

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Speaking at the Unstoppable Africans event, Savage said the rise of Afrobeats had transformed how the world views Africa, turning a once marginalised sound into a global cultural force.

“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,” she said.

Savage reflected on her early experiences in the UK, recalling how she once struggled with her African heritage.

“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 dismissed claims that Afrobeats was fading in influence, pointing to its continued dominance on global charts and record-breaking stadium concerts.

“There was a conversation at one point that Afrobeats is going to have its 15 minutes of fame and then fade away. But we are still here. We are not slowing down,” she said.
“We are filling out stadiums, and we are getting the biggest songs on the charts right now.”

The “Somebody’s Son” singer also highlighted the growing global footprint of Africans, saying this demographic strength underpins the genre’s unstoppable rise.

“Apparently, one in every four black persons is a Nigerian or an African. So, we are not going anywhere. As much as they try to quiet us down, the music is not going anywhere. We are Africans, and we are unstoppable.”

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Tiwa Savage, who has been a key voice in Afrobeats’ global expansion, continues to champion African culture and female empowerment through her music and performances.