During a powerful “Gender & Power in African Music” panel at the inaugural Entertainment Week Africa (EWA) in Lagos, Afrobeats star Tiwa Savage spoke out against the sexual exploitation female artists face when seeking career opportunities.
Speaking on November 20, 2025, she shared personal accounts of gatekeeping, revealing that she was once told an influential “chairman” would only book her for a show if she met with him privately.
Furthermore, she disclosed the loss of a lucrative endorsement deal after she rejected an invitation from a company co-owner to join him on a trip to Dubai.
Tiwa Savage expressed that these experiences were deeply painful, as they signaled that her talent was being overshadowed by a voyeuristic focus on her physical appearance – a realization that forced her to confront how industry executives often prioritize a woman’s body over her professional craft.
Her testimony was part of a larger conversation at the six-day festival, themed “Close the Gap,” which brought together other female trailblazers like Yemi Alade, Waje, and Teni to address systemic bias and the wide representation gap in the African music scene.
