Speaking at the Unstoppable Africans event, Savage recounted her experience growing up in London, where being African once came with stigma. She said the unprecedented success of Afrobeats has not only reshaped her self-image but also redefined how the world views the African continent.
“I remember growing up in London and I was not happy being African,” she admitted. “But now I’m so proud because of how big Afrobeats is growing.”
Savage credited the genre’s phenomenal growth to the resilience and creativity of African artists who built an international movement with little support. “Afrobeats is 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.
She dismissed claims that the genre’s influence is fading, pointing instead to its dominance on global music charts and its ability to fill stadiums across continents. “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. In fact, we are filling out stadiums, and we are getting the biggest songs on the charts right now.”
Savage also emphasized the cultural and demographic power of the African population, noting that “one in every four Black persons is a Nigerian or an African” — a fact she says reinforces the continent’s unstoppable creative force.
“As much as they are trying to quiet us down, the music is not going anywhere. We are Africans and we are unstoppable,” she declared.
Tiwa Savage’s remarks highlight Afrobeats’ evolution from a regional sound to a global phenomenon — one that not only entertains but also restores pride and visibility to African identity on the world stage.