Nigerian singer, songwriter Tiwa Savage is making her feature film acting debut. Savage, whose music is a blend of Afrobeats, R&B, pop and hip-hop, won the Best African Act award at the 2018 MTV Europe Music Awards and became the first woman to win the category.
In the upcoming drama “Water and Garri,” she plays an ambitious U.S. based fashion designer who returns to her native home after 10 years away following a family bereavement. Savage, who also doubles as executive producer on the film via her ‘Everything Savage’ company, writes and performs the original soundtrack.
Filmed in Cape Coast, Ghana, the drama also stars Mike Afolarin (“Far From Home”), Andrew Bunting (“Dynamite”) and Jemima Osunde (“New Money”) with Meji Alabi as director.
“Performing as Aisha allowed me to be totally vulnerable and pushed me to express myself in a way that I’ve never done before,” says Savage, who has composed music for films Coming 2 America and Black Is King. “It was an honor to share my debut as an actress with Meji whilst filming on the African continent with a cast and crew that I have immense admiration and respect for. This project was a complete labor of love that has been a dream of mine for a number of years.”
Savage, who began her career as a backup singer for Mary J. Blige, Kelly Clarkson and Andrea Bocelli, is the first African artist to sign a global record deal with the Universal Music Group and was one of the first African artists to be featured on the cover of Billboard magazine.
The first feature from African production company Unbound Studios, a release date for “Water and Garri” has not been announced.
Samantha Ofole-Prince is a journalist and movie critic who covers industry-specific news that includes television and film. She serves as the Entertainment Editor for Trendy Africa.
Pictured Tiwa Savage/IMDB
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