BEAUTY OF THE WEEK: TIWA SAVAGE

Tiwatope Savage Balogun (born February 5, 1980), known by her stage name Tiwa Savage, is a Nigerian award winning singer-songwriter, recording artist, performer, and actress. She is currently signed to Sony/ATV Music Publishing and Mavin Records. Tiwa Savage was born in Lagos, Nigeria. Her family relocated to London from Nigeria when she was 11 years old. Tiwa sings in English and Yoruba. Whilst attending high school, she was a trombone player for her school's orchestra band. After graduating with a degree in Business administration from the University of Kent, Tiwa started working at The Royal Bank of Scotland.Savage did backup vocals for George Michael at the age of 16, and lent vocals to other musicians such as Mary J. Blige,Chaka Khan, Blu Cantrell, Emma Bunton, Kelly Clarkson, Andrea Bocelli, and Ms. Dynamite among others. Furthermore, she has performed on stage with Sting, 50 Cent, The Black Eyed Peas, Eminem, Robbie Williams, and Destiny’s Child, to name a few.In 2006, Savage participated in the UK edition of The X Factor.She has received songwriting credits for her contribution to Monica's soul-tinged ballad "Catch Me". Moreover, her collaboration with Fantasia on the song "Collard Greens & Cornbread" earned the American recording artist a Grammy nomination in 2010. Savage wrote Jaicko's "Oh Yeah", featuring Snoop Dogg, and Kat Deluna's "Push Push", featuring Akon and David Guetta. She performed background vocals on Whitney Houston’s album I Look to You (2009). She was featured on Flavour N'abania's "Oyi Remix". In December 2011, she co-hosted the second season of Nigerian Idol alongside IllRymz. Moreover, she made her film debut with Joke Silva and Ireti Doyle in the stage adaptation of For Coloured Girls. Savage became the first African female artist to be associated with the Pepsi brand after signing an endorsement deal with them. She joined Don Jazzy's Mavin Records in 2012. In July 2013, Savage signed an endorsement deal with MTN Nigeria. She also signed endorsement deals with Pepsi, Forte Oil, and Maggi. On November 23, 2013, Tiwa and Tunji "Tee Billz" Balogun held their traditional marriage at the Ark in Lekki. On 26 April 2014, the couple had their white wedding at the Armani Hotel in Dubai.Tiwa has been involved in many youth empowerment and breast cancer screening projects across Nigeria. Tiwa helped raise money for an organization that build schools in her hometown.

Please leave your comments below and tell us more about Tiwa. Also, nominate yourself to be our next Naija We Dey Beauty of the Week by commenting below and introducing yourself. You can also send an email to naijawedeyblog@gmail.com with your picture and achievements and why you should win. Good luck people!