Lagos (AFP) – She listens attentively, smiles, touches a shoulder in encouragement, gives her kind glances: Nigerian afrobeats superstar Tiwa Savage plays mentor to young musicians benefiting from an elite musical training program, born of her own initiative.

Published on: 06/05/2026 - 08:39

For several days, around a hundred Nigerian musicians selected from more than 2,000 applications participate in instrumental practice workshops, vocal coaching and masterclasses on the workings of the music industry at the Muson conservatory in Lagos, the cultural and economic capital of Africa's most populous country.

Tiwatope Omolara Savage, 46, a major figure in the Nigerian music industry, has just launched the first promotion of her musical foundation, in partnership with the prestigious American music school Berklee where she herself studied almost twenty years ago.

“I wholeheartedly hope that a beneficiary of this foundation will become the next Michael Jackson, the next Quincy Jones, the next Wizkid, the next great artist, producer or composer,” the singer with global hits such as “All Over” and “Koroba” told AFP.

From the rehearsal rooms, scales and vocal warm-ups rise, punctuated by bursts of laughter.

“Our teachers tell us to listen to others while we play and sing, because harmony is very important,” Okebile Dennis Israel, a 23-year-old rapper, told AFP.

“I am developing as a beatmaker and producer, and perfecting my piano playing. Learning from Tiwa, other musicians and teachers is incredible,” enthuses Aliyu Olukoya, 24.

Berklee teachers adjust and correct, while Tiwa Savage watches intently.

Born in Lagos, partly raised in the United Kingdom, the star established herself in the early 2010s, after her return to Nigeria, as one of the most influential female voices in Afrobeats, one of the most popular musical genres in the world, which has its roots in Nigeria.

- "Opportunities" and "superpower" -

“Having confidence in yourself and in what you can offer, even in a competitive environment, is your superpower and that's what we teach here,” tells aspiring musicians Nichelle J. Mungo, 51, a singing teacher at Berklee, who is making her first trip to Lagos at the request of Tiwa Savage, whom she met on the benches of this American music school.

The Nigerian star clearly remembers meeting very few African students when she attended this establishment on the east coast of the United States: it was from there that she nourished her ambition to facilitate access for young people from the African continent to high-level musical training.

“The problem is not the lack of talent. The problem is access to education and more particularly to musical education” in Nigeria, explains in a calm voice the one who now has her eyes turned towards the legacy she wishes to leave.

“As a musician you have to study the industry, especially globally, because we are too good to just compete locally,” she continues.

For the singer, if Afrobeats wants to achieve longevity and popularity comparable to RnB or rock'n'roll, the entire ecosystem of this musical genre must still become professionalized.

“If we focus solely on the artist, how are we going to ensure the sustainability of the industry?” she asks, pleading for the development of producers, sound engineers, composers, but also marketing professions, among others.

At the same time, she wants to help reveal talents who lack visibility due to lack of resources, in a country marked by profound social inequalities.

“I see so much talent,” she says, referring to already very gifted musicians forced to practice without regular access to instruments.

Around fifteen young people particularly caught the attention of the Berklee professors who came to teach the lessons. Following their concert at the National Theater in Lagos, 18 students received Berklee scholarships totaling $2.1 million.

The foundation must remain free and accessible, Tiwa Savage has made it a moral principle. She wants to offer others the possibility of passing through the same doors, even beyond her country.

“It has to be a pan-African foundation. Talent is not limited to Nigeria. It is everywhere,” she says.

© 2026 AFP

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