Nigerian music star Tiwa Savage has shared her emotional journey following her divorce from Tunji TeeBillz Balogun in 2018. During a conversation on The Receipts Podcast, Tiwa revealed the challenges she faced during and after their separation.
Tiwa disclosed that her ex-husband’s online announcement of their marital issues left her bearing the brunt of public backlash. Despite attempts to share her side of the story, the criticism intensified. “People said, ‘How dare you go and talk?’ I was told I’d never win because I was a woman. It was heartbreaking,” Tiwa recalled.
The singer struggled with postpartum depression and intense scrutiny. Prominent figures advised her to remain silent to preserve her reputation, but Tiwa chose to speak out. The backlash worsened, leading to a period of depression.
Tiwa said, “When I came out, I was Nigeria’s sweetheart when Istarted and I could do no wrong in Nigerian’s eyes. I did everything bythe book. I went to university and I wasn’t a baby mama. I got marriedthen I had a baby so I did everything in the right order and everybodyloved me and then everything happened.
“Then I started getting hate from blogs and I started getting hate fromcertain people. The way our situation happened, he announced itonline. I didn’t break up with him but I was the one being attacked.
“At the time, my baby was just a few months old and I was dealingwith postpartum and my body wasn’t the same and I was depressed.Everyone then went to him and only a few people came to see me.
“After I interviewed to tell my side of the story, it got worse. Peoplewere like ‘How dare you go and talk’ ‘You’re a woman and you’resupposed to build the house, it’s your fault’.
“I remember famous people calling me to ask how I could tell my sideof the story cuz I’d never win. Ever since then, I was like I won’t evertalk about the situation because it was very heartbreaking how thepublic took it and blamed me.”
“It was an eye-opener for me and it made me depressed for so long. Itgot me angry then I became the ‘African Bad Girl.”
Tiwa’s experience transformed her, and she adopted the persona of the ‘African Bad Girl.’ “I thought to myself, after doing everything right, I was still attacked. Then I started getting tattoos and wearing short skirts and bikini. I was just wild,” she said.
