Nigerian singer Tiwa Savage stopped by The Beat 99.9FM for an interview, during which, she was asked about how she feels about being left out of the ‘big 3’ conversation that usually happens.
For those who don’t know, in the Nigerian music scene, the ‘big 3’ are seen as Wizkid, Davido, and Burna Boy.
And many people have always argued that Tiwa should be a part of that list to make it a big 4. Now, this conversation was brought to Tiwa’s table, and according to the singer, she doesn’t even see it as a big 3, she sees it as a big one, and is now explaining her reasons why.
Here’s what Tiwa Savage had to say about why she’s the big one, not the big three.
During her interview, Tiwa Savage was asked “Do you feel like you ought to be a part of the big three or even big four conversation, or how do you feel about?” to which she said:
TIWA SAVAGE: Don’t get me started because like if we were to go talent for talent, mic for mic, I’m the big one, period.
Like, take off the the numbers yeah, if we take off the numbers and whatever it is you want to judge the big whatever by, you can’t see me on a mic. Like, I’m sorry. And that’s what it is.
It’s music, but again, it’s not based on that and I understand that. But at the end of the day, I feel like it’s a catch 22. I feel I’ve always been saying this for a long time. Sometimes I look at the charts and there’s not one female. I’m not even talking about me, I’m just talking in general. You’re talking from one to a hundred, cuz it’s not top 10, it’s 1 to 100 and there’s not one female. If that doesn’t make people in the industry be like okay, what’s going on? Then I don’t know what will.
I feel like the more you play the male artist songs, the more influencers jump on it, the more you go to the clubs, subconsciously they’re going to keep growing and there’s going to keep being that gap. The gap is going to get bigger. It’s not about whether the females are producing great music or not, it’s not about whether they’re great performers or not, it’s not about whether they can dress or y’know, they have the swag. Everything is there, but it’s just like I feel like we have gatekeepers that’s holding and creating that gap.
And it doesn’t happen in America. I say this all the time, like some of the biggest singers: Beyonce, Rihanna, Taylor Swift, the list goes on…Selena Gomez. Like the list is endless. But I don’t see that as something that I can or should be bitter or jealous about. I just be like listen, I’m just going to keep going and one day it’s going to crack. One day, it will make sense.