I was being rebellious – Tiwa Savage opens up about ‘Wanted’ video and industry pressures

Afrobeats star Tiwa Savage has opened up about the bold and controversial visuals in her 2014 music video ‘Wanted’, describing it as a moment of rebellion sparked by public doubts about her relevance and desirability after marriage.

Speaking on a recent episode of the Afrobeats Intelligence podcast with Joey Akan, the Nigerian singer revealed that at the time, the media was quick to dismiss her because of her new marital status.

“The sexiness in my 2014 single ‘Wanted’ music video felt groundbreaking at that time.

“Because I just got married and there’s a lot of press saying, ‘She’s not going to be desirable anymore. She’s finished. Her time is gone. There are new people on the scene,’” Tiwa recalled.

She explained that the decision to go in that direction with the visuals was her way of pushing back against those narratives.

“So, I was just like, let me do something crazy,” she said. “That was me being rebellious. I was like, Oh! You guys think I’m not sexy anymore?”

Tiwa Savage went on to clarify that trying to appear sexy wasn’t her natural inclination.

“To be honest, that wasn’t the aim—to just try to be sexy. Because naturally, I’m not. Naturally, I’m a tomboy,” she admitted.

She also credited music executive Tunji Balogun, known as TJ, for playing a significant role in reshaping her image to fit a market gap he had identified.

“TJ saw that there was a gap in the market and he was just like, you’ve to lose weight, you’ve to go to the gym, you’ve to start waxing your eyebrows.

“You’ve to start wearing wigs. He literally changed my whole appearance,” Tiwa revealed. “I was not like that in L.A. when he met me.”