Afrobeats star Tiwa Savage has alleged that exploitation is widespread within the nation’s music industry.
During a panel session hosted by Entertainment Week Africa, Savage recounted her own experiences of being pressured to provide s3xual favours in exchange for professional opportunities.
She explained that she has been urged to meet influential male executives to secure performances and has even missed out on endorsement deals because she refused to compromise her principles.
In one example, she was asked to travel to Dubai with a company co-owner, an offer she turned down, which led to the loss of a highly profitable endorsement deal.
She stated, “I had been told that if I didn’t go and see ‘this chairman’ personally, I would not be put on a show. I lost an endorsement because I refused to go to Dubai with a man who is one of the owners of the company.
“That was when I realised that they don’t value my talent but my body, which I was only flaunting as part of branding. It ended up hurting me because that is all they were seeing.”
