Nigerian music diva, Tiwa Savage, was a guest on African Voices Changemakers, Globacom-sponsored magazine programme of the Cable News Network (CNN).
The programme also features Gambian Kora great, Sona Jobarteh.
Tiwa began her music career doing backup vocals for artistes as George Michael and Mary J. Blige.
Reputed for her blend of Afrobeat, hip hop and pop, she released her debut studio album Once Upon a Time in 2013. It was supported by seven singles: “Kele Kele Love”, “Love Me (3x)”, “Without My Heart”, “Ife Wa Gbona”, “Folarin”, “Olorun Mi” and “Eminado”. The album was nominated for Best Album of the Year at the 2014 Nigeria Entertainment Awards and for Best R&B/Pop Album at The Headies 2014.
Tiwa won Best African Act at the 2018 MTV Europe Music Awards, becoming the first woman to win in that category. She won the Best Female West Africa Award in 2017 and 2018 and the Soundcity MVP Award for African Video of the Year in 2020, among others.
She has interest in youth empowerment and breast cancer screening projects and has raised funds to build schools in Nigeria.
The second guest on the programme, Jobarteh, is a multi-instrumentalist who plays the cello, guitar and traditional kora which is a 21-stringed harp-like instrument. She is also a composer.
Born in 1983, Jobarteh is the first female professional kora player to come from a family of celebrated griots. She attended the Royal College of Music in the United Kingdom where she studied cello, piano and harpsichord. She also went to the Purcell School of Music, England, to study Composition.
Her debut album was Afro-Acoustic Soul which contained songs about bittersweet love and social themes.
The programme airs on Saturday DSTV channel 401 at 5.30 p.m. and is repeated on Sunday at 4.30 a.m., 7.30 a.m.,12.30 p.m. and 6.30 p.m. and on Monday at 5.30 a.m.
