Tiwa Savage speaks on troubling pressures on female artistes, highlighting coercive demands and lost deals in Nigeria’s music industry

Award-winning singer Tiwa Savage on Thursday condemned what she described as troubling pressures female artistes continue to endure in Nigeria’s music industry, revealing that she had repeatedly faced coercive demands from influential insiders seeking access beyond professional boundaries.

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Speaking during a panel session at Entertainment Week Africa in Lagos, Tiwa Savage said she had at various points been urged to personally visit high-profile male figures before securing performance slots, implying that visibility in the sector was sometimes tied to expectations unrelated to artistic merit.

She recalled losing a major endorsement deal after declining an invitation to travel to Dubai with a company co-owner.

The incident, she said, marked a defining moment that exposed the power imbalances shaping the experiences of many women in entertainment.

Tiwa Savage explained that she had once viewed her branding and public image as part of the strategic demands of show business, only to realise that some executives perceived those choices as invitations for exploitation.

Her account drew quiet attention from the audience as she outlined how the industry’s unwritten rules often work to the disadvantage of women.

Her remarks have added momentum to the ongoing debate about consent, workplace ethics and the need to build safer environments for women working in the creative sector.

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Industry advocates at the event noted that her testimony underscored a broader call for structural reforms, fairer representation and stronger accountability mechanisms within the entertainment space.