“He Turned Me Into A Sex Symbol” – Tiwa Savage Recounts How Her Ex-Husband Completely Changed Her
Afrobeats queen Tiwa Savage has opened up about the jaw-dropping transformation that changed her life, and it was all thanks to her ex-husband and former manager, Tunji “Teebillz” Balogun.
In a candid chat on the Afrobeats Intelligence podcast with Joey Akan, the ‘Ma Lo’ hitmaker revealed that before fame, glam, and wigs, she was just a regular tomboy rocking baggy jeans and t-shirts while writing songs in Los Angeles. But everything changed when she met Teebillz.
According to Tiwa, her ex saw a bold new image for her, one that the world would never forget.
“Before I met TJ, I wasn’t a sexy diva. I didn’t even see myself that way,” she confessed. “He told me, ‘You’ve got to lose weight, hit the gym, get your brows waxed, wear wigs, we’re giving them the African Rihanna or Beyoncé!’ And I was like, okay, let’s do this.”
When she relocated to Nigeria, that transformation became a full-blown revolution. But not everyone was ready.
“The video for my song Wanted in 2024 was wild for that time. I had just gotten married, and people were saying, ‘She’s done. She’s not hot anymore.’ So I dropped Wanted as a rebellious move — a sexy comeback to shut them up.”
Tiwa’s new look sparked major controversy. She revealed how her daring fashion was banned from TV, how she was denied performances because of her outfits, and how she fled back to L.A. after the backlash.
“There were shows where governors’ wives said I couldn’t perform. They’d tell the organizers, ‘Don’t let her on stage with those skimpy clothes,'” she recalled. “My video Love Me even got banned!”
Feeling discouraged, Tiwa almost gave up — until a call from Bizzle changed her path. “He told me women were loving my style,” she said, “So I came back.”
Now a fashion and music icon, Tiwa Savage’s bold rebrand wasn’t just a makeover, it was a movement. And it all started with a man who saw a star hiding behind baggy jeans.
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