One of the movies I’m actually anticipating this year is “Water and Garri” by Tiwa Savage. We’ve seen her climb up to become the Queen of Afrobeat, and I can’t wait to see how she’ll perform as an actress in her debut film that is set to premiere globally on Amazon Prime Video. When she dropped her 5-track EP in 2021, she called it “Water and Garri.” We didn’t know Tiwa Savage had something in store for us. The biggest track from that EP was “Somebody Son” featuring Brandy.
If there’s one Nigerian artist that I root for with everything in me, it has to be Tiwa Savage. I love how she stood out and made a name for herself in an industry dominated by men. In 2010, after she dropped her first single titled “Kele Kele Love,” I decided to check her out on YouTube and stumbled upon clips of her performance at a talent show. In 2006, Tiwa Savage participated in the UK edition of The X Factor and advanced to the final 24 but ended up being the 12th person to be evicted. Last year, she said on a podcast that while participating, she had difficulty dealing with the limelight. But I’m happy she conquered all of that and made a name for herself. I’ve always loved Tiwa Savage’s voice, and I still do. I was already a big fan before she got signed in 2012 to Don Jazzy’s Mavin Records.
One dream she has always talked about is developing and shooting her film. But seeing it move from an idea to launching globally on Prime Video is a dream fulfilled. The film also stars some of our favorite actors like Mike Afolarin (“Far From Home”) and Jemima Osunde (“New Money”). The movie will be filmed in the city of Cape Coast, Ghana.
Another exciting thing about the movie is the fact that it will be directed by Nigerian music director Meji Alabi. In my books, Meji Alabi is a god. I rate him second after Clarence Peter. Director Pink comes third. I rate Meji Alabi higher than TG Omori. Sometimes, I imagine what would have happened if it was Meji Alabi who shot the “Feel” video for Davido. One of his works I love so much is the “Way too big” video by Burna Boy. I loved every bit of it, and it’s great to see him go into film production.
Audiences around the world are looking for well-made, contemporary African stories, and I hope “Water and Garri” will deliver that with a fresh perspective.
I’m thrilled with the collaboration Amazon Prime Video is having with Nollywood. They did a great job with “Brotherhood.” Deciding to collaborate with Tiwa Savage on this new film shows they understand the cultural milestone, and this is a way of celebrating the cross-power of film and music, especially out of Africa, at this exciting time.
In recent times, we’ve seen actors and actresses in Nollywood try to cross over and do music and fail. A clear example is Tonto Dike. But in Tiwa Savage’s case, it will be crossing over from music to acting in movies, and I hope she’ll become Nollywood’s Will Smith. Will Smith was successful as a rapper with 4 Grammy Awards; he even performed at the just-concluded Coachella. When he crossed over to acting in movies, Will Smith still had a great career.
Tiwa Savage has always been an inspiration, and I’m looking forward to seeing what she can accomplish with this new film. Maybe one day, when I broaden my career in music radio, I’ll also shoot a movie that will show how it all started.
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