Tiwatope Omolara Savage (born 5 February 1980), known professionally as Tiwa Savage (listeni), is a Nigerian singer, songwriter, and actress who has been called the Queen of Afrobeats.[4][5][6] Savage sings in English and Yoruba; her music is a blend of Afrobeats, R&B, afropop, pop and hip-hop.[7] Savage’s contributions to the Nigerian music industry have earned her several achievements. Born in Isale Eko, she relocated to London at the age of 11 for her secondary education. Five years later, she began her music career doing backup vocals for artists such as George Michael and Mary J. Blige. After participating in the UK edition of The X Factor and graduating from Berklee College of Music, Savage signed a publishing deal with Sony/ATV Music Publishing in 2009.[8] Inspired by the growth of the Nigerian music industry, Savage moved back to Nigeria and signed with Mavin Records in 2012. She made an appearance on the label’s 2012 compilation album Solar Plexus. Tiwatope Savage was born on 5 February 1980, in Isale Eko, Lagos State, Nigeria.[12] Her family relocated to London when she was 11 years old. While attending secondary school, she was a trombone player for her school’s orchestra band. Savage graduated with a degree in accounting from the University of Kent, and started working at The Royal Bank of Scotland.[12][7] She did backup vocals for English singer George Michael at the age of 16, and lent vocals to other musicians such as Mary J. Blige, Chaka Khan, Blu Cantrell, Emma Bunton, Kelly Clarkson, Andrea Bocelli and Ms. Dynamite.[13][14] Savage enrolled at Berklee College of Music and graduated with a degree in professional music in 2007.[8][7] While reminiscing about her experiences there, she said she was motivated by the drive and passion of the younger students. She also said she needed the school’s atmosphere. In 2006, Savage participated in the UK edition of The X Factor and advanced to the final 24 but ended up being the 12th person to be evicted.[15][14] While participating, she had difficulty dealing with the limelight. She said, “You have to always realize that people are watching. When I got the bad news that I wasn’t getting through [to the final 12] it was a really painful time. But you still have to learn how to hold that until you get home. Because you don’t want to just let everything out. People admire you and want to see that you’re strong; they don’t want to see you breaking down. In 2009, Savage signed a publishing deal with Sony/ATV Music Publishing. The deal allowed her to write for Babyface, Kat Deluna, Fantasia, Monica and Mýa. She has received songwriting credits for her contribution to Monica’s soul-tinged ballad “Catch Me”.[16] Her collaboration with Fantasia on the song “Collard Greens & Cornbread” earned the American recording artist a Grammy nomination in 2010. Savage wrote Jaicko’s “Oh Yeah”, featuring Snoop Dogg, and Deluna’s “Push Push”, featuring Akon. She performed background vocals on Whitney Houston’s album I Look to You (2009).[12] Inspired by the growth of the Nigerian music industry, Savage moved back to Nigeria and signed with Mavin Records in 2012.