Tiwa Savage totally agrees with Burna Boy’s position on international deals.
Recall that the Dangote crooner recently took to his Instagram to commiserate with his colleagues who are signing international deals with foreign record labels, saying that he is grateful that his mother stopped him from becoming an “international victim.”
“I feel so sorry for all you Nigerian [artists] jumping into these international deals,” he wrote, adding, “You guys don’t know what you are doing. I will be forever thankful to my manager/mother for making sure I will never be an international victim.”
He continued, “I feel very bad for every single one of you. I’m hearing some really scary shit out here. I’m so sad for y’all.”
Shortly after his comments, Tiwa Savage announced her international distribution deal with UMG. And Tiwa now says she totally agrees with Burna.
See the excerpts of her chat with Bellanaija below:
“I think it’s important for artists to be 100% sure and aware of what they’re getting themselves into, especially when it comes to contracts. Burna is 1000% correct. People took it out of context, maybe. It’s a great advice to any artist: make sure you see your lawyers and do your personal research.
It took me a year to conclude this deal. It took that long for a reason. It took a year to convince them that I don’t want this and I want that and this is the reason why. They understood. I feel blessed in the position I’m in. I have an amazing deal with UMG and I agree with Burna that while we’re pushing Africa to the World, we need to be careful that we don’t lose ourselves. I think that’s what he’s trying to say.
It depends on what you’re looking for as an artist and what stage you’re at in your career. It’s important to not get lazy or comfortable as an artist when you sign a deal. You have to work your way to become priority. You have to put your talent to work and sacrifice time. I believe every contract can work in your favour. However, make sure you don’t get into a bad deal in the first place.”
