Afrobeats queen, Tiwa Savage, has stirred conversations online after revealing she once felt unhappy being African while growing up in London.
Speaking at the Unstoppable Africans event, the Grammy-nominated star dismissed claims that Afrobeats is currently on a decline, insisting that the genre is only getting bigger, stronger, and prouder.
Her statement comes amid debates sparked by music executives Paul Okoye (Paulo) and DJ Big N, who suggested that Afrobeats is experiencing one of its lowest moments in two decades.
However, Tiwa Savage countered that narrative, describing Afrobeats as “the fastest-growing genre in the world.”
“We kind of created it with nothing; no support, no infrastructure, no real belief even from our own people initially,” she said. “I remember growing up in London and I was not happy being African. But now I’m so proud because of how big Afrobeats is growing.”
The award-winning singer emphasized that the genre’s global dominance and cultural influence have reshaped Africa’s image on the world stage.
“There was a conversation at one point that Afrobeats is going to have its 15 minutes of fame and then fade away. But we are still here. We are not slowing down. We are filling out stadiums and topping global charts”, she declared.
Tiwa Savage concluded with a bold message of pride and resilience:
“We are not going anywhere. As much as they are trying to quiet us down, the music is not going anywhere. We are Africans and we are unstoppable.”