Nigerian singer and songwriter, Tiwatope Savage, popularly known as Tiwa Savage, has revealed that her 2021 leaked sex tape was circulated as part of a bet, describing the experience as one of the most painful moments of her life. The Afrobeats star also disclosed that she has remained celibate for the past three years.
The revelation was made during an interview with The Breakfast Club, released on Tuesday, where she spoke candidly about how the scandal affected her personal life, career, and mental health.
Savage said she initially coped with humour and by channelling the pain into her songs, but admitted the episode cut deeper. “
When I talked about the sex tape … that’s how I was able to kind of like, try and get through it. But in hindsight, did I really deal with it? I don’t think so. I was hurt… I was a victim,” she said.
She revealed that while her boyfriend at the time claimed the tape was leaked accidentally, she later learned it had been circulated as part of a bet.
“He said he was trying to save it, and then he pressed send by accident… I later on found out that it was a bet with his friends,” she said.
The singer added that many assumed she staged the leak for attention.
They thought I did it for PR. A lot of people thought, ‘oh, she’s not relevant anymore, and she’s doing this.’ And I’m like, guys, trust me, if I wanted to do that, I would have had better lighting,” she said.
Attempts to pursue the case also failed because of the emotional toll.
“We tried, actually. But yeah, we couldn’t. And me trying was just, it was just too traumatic for me to keep talking about it. I just wanted to move on from it,” she explained.
Savage said the backlash from the public, including attacks on her role as a mother, was harder to bear than the tape itself.
“They brought my son into it and said I was unfit… my son’s gonna grow up and see this and he’s gonna be disappointed in his mom. That hurt me more than the actual thing,” she said.
