LAGOS (Nigeria): Nigerian Afrobeats superstar Tiwa Savage is turning her global success into a mission to nurture the continent’s next wave of talent.
Walking through a lively music centre in Lagos, Savage smiled and offered encouragement to the young artists enrolled in an elite training programme.
The initiative, launched in partnership with Berklee College of Music in the United States—where Savage studied nearly two decades ago—brought together 100 aspiring musicians selected from more than 2,000 applicants.
“This is my legacy,” Savage said. “I want to be the founder of something that lasts. Years from now, when I’m no longer here, I pray that one of these young artists will become the next Michael Jackson, the next Quincy Jones, the next Wizkid.”
The programme, Berklee’s first academic extension into Africa, offered five days of intensive workshops covering instrumental training, vocal coaching, and masterclasses on the inner workings of the music industry.
Savage stressed that talent alone is not enough. “The problem isn’t lack of gift,” she explained. “The problem is access—access to education, to producers, to promoters.
This foundation is about giving them the tools they need. They already have the talent.”
Students described the experience as life-changing. “They are professionals, and at every moment there is something new to learn,” said Irene Ugwuorah, a young singer. “It is exciting, spontaneous, and challenging.”
Savage, whose hits include Koroba and Kele Kele, was born in Lagos and raised partly in Britain. She returned to Nigeria in the early 2010s and quickly became one of Afrobeats’ most influential female voices. The genre, rooted in Nigerian rhythms and fused with global pop, has since captured crowds worldwide.
Her vision goes beyond performance. Savage insists that for Afrobeats to achieve the staying power of R&B or rock, the entire ecosystem must professionalise.
Producers, sound engineers, songwriters, and marketers all need training to sustain the industry’s growth.
She recalls her time at Berklee, where African students were few, and began envisioning ways to make high-level musical education more accessible back home.
That vision is now a reality. At the programme’s closing concert at the National Theatre in Lagos, Berklee professors awarded 18 scholarships worth $2.1 million to standout students.
Savage’s foundation provides free training, guaranteeing access to young artists regardless of background. “I definitely want this to be pan-African,” she said. “Talent doesn’t stop in Nigeria—it’s everywhere.”
By connecting African talent with global institutions, Tiwa Savage aims to transform Africa’s music future by building a pipeline for aspiring artists to thrive.
