How I used to cry in Don Jazzy’s room during difficult times — Tiwa Savage

Nigerian singer Tiwatope Savage Balogun, popularly known as Tiwa savage, has spoken about the emotional support she received during her time at Mavin Records, saying the label gave artistes a safe space during difficult moments in their careers.

The Afrobeats star made the revelation during a recent episode of the Afrobeats Intelligence podcast hosted by Joey Akan.

Speaking about her experience at Mavin Records, Tiwa Savage explained that the label, led by Don Jazzy, felt more like a family than a business environment.

She said, “Who you signed to is very important and I didn’t appreciate it until after I left Mavin. Mavin is still like family. So, if there is something going on, online or whatever, I promise you, I will run to Jazzy’s room and we will all come like, Dr Sid, Tega, Reekado Banks, all of us in the room, on the floor, on the bed. We will talk about it, if I have to cry and whatever and we will get through it.”

According to the singer, she only realised the value of that emotional support after leaving the label in 2019 for an international deal with Universal Music Group.

Tiwa Savage compared the atmosphere at Mavin Records with her experience under a foreign label structure, saying the personal connection is different.

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“But being with a [foreign] label, they don’t really care about your personal stuff. So, I can’t really go to the Empire office and cry,” she said.

The 46-year-old singer added that artistes should look beyond money and global exposure when choosing a record label.

“I miss that part. I learned that it is really, really important to be really able to discern if whoever you are signing with really, really cares or if you are just (a dollar cheque),” she added.

Tiwa Savage also stressed that emotional support can affect an artist’s journey in the music industry.

“It makes a difference if they care for you as a person as opposed to just because the minute you stop making the hits,” she said.

Tiwa Savage joined Mavin Records in 2012 and became one of the label’s biggest stars before her exit in 2019.