Nigerian music superstar Tiwa Savage has spoken up about how starting her music career late than most artistes turned out to be a blessing for her.
Tiwa noted that with her experience gained in music so far, she hopes to support her son in carving out his own path in music without pressure or expectation.
The songstress opened up about her career journey, motherhood, and the realities of life in the music industry with media personality Joey Akan on Afrobeats Intelligence.
In the interview, Tiwa discussed the difficulties that artistes encounter behind the scenes ranging from mental health issues to the pressures of maintaining a glamorous public image in the face of unstable finances.
Tiwa disclosed that starting her music career later in life ended up being a blessing, although it didn’t feel that way at first.
“I was very intentional about sustaining my career. Me starting at a late age was a blessing at the time, I didn’t think it was though,” she said.
The superstar also talked about her son and the pressures associated with following in the footsteps of a famous parent.
“I have seen a lot of kids whose parents are amazing singers and musicians. They learned, but they don’t have that natural gift. So I didn’t want my son to feel pressured going into music because of me,” Tiwa explained.
The songstress underscored the importance of allowing her son to find his own path in the music industry. “I feel like if it really is what he is supposed to do, he will find it in spite of me. And then I can really encourage it. I want him to find his own path in music because music is tough.”
Tiwa also opened up about the mental challenges artistes face behind the scenes. “It’s difficult for artistes mentally as well. Imagine being an artiste and you are not really making as much money as people think you are, but you have to live like you are. To build the larger-than-life image, you have to appear to have money when a lot of the times you don’t, and it’s not consistent,” she revealed.
She described the constant scrutiny artists endure, saying, “You are open for public perception, public opinion. You have to either from the very onset be very thick-skinned or you have to grow it over years.”
