Recorded worldwide, ‘This One Is Personal’ marks a new era of storytelling for Tiwa Savage.
Tiwa Savage unveils her highly anticipated fifth studio album, ‘This One Is Personal’. The 15-track project, written over the past two years during recording sessions in Nashville, London, and San Francisco, captures Tiwa at her most intimate. Through themes of love, heartbreak, self-reflection, and resilience, she lays bare her heart, mind, and soul, archiving her womanhood with unflinching honesty. “I’ve done what people, labels, and others have wanted for so long. This album is for me” states Tiwa. True to its title, ‘This One Is Personal’ finds the singer-songwriter at her most vulnerable, with emotions seeping through every lyric. Drawing inspiration from the candor of Mary J. Blige, Tiwa explains that she’s long envisioned an afrobeats and Nigerian pop album rooted in raw vulnerability, an authentic reflection of love, loss, and the scars they leave behind. Over the summer, Tiwa has been building anticipation for “This One Is Personal” with standout singles “On The Low” ft. Skepta and “You4Me.” The response to her new sound has been nothing but positive, with support pouring in across the board. Most recently, Tiwa appeared on Sunday Brunch and continues to receive major backing from radio tastemakers including BBC Radio 1, 1Xtra, Capital Xtra, Kiss Xtra and AppleMusic 1, with “On The Low” currently playlisted at 1Xtra and Capital Xtra. To celebrate the release Tiwa is throwing a free party and performance at KOKO on release day, the event sold out in a matter of minutes.
The album opener, ‘I’m Done’, sets the tone with a stripped piano ballad, Tiwa’s raw vocals laying her pain bare: “I’ve got to learn how to love me first, you don’t know the value of my love.” Recording the track in San Francisco was so emotional she had to pause to cry, with co-executive producer Mystroclearing the studio so she could channel that vulnerability fully. On ‘Angel Dust’, Tiwa shifts gears, weaving R&B, jazz, reggae, and afrobeats into a sultry “rebound” anthem: “I’ve never felt so dangerous, dangerous, dangerous, scandalous.” The same unapologetic energy carries into ‘For One Night’, where she reflects with honesty: “What doesn’t kill you fi make you stronger, what doesn’t heal you won’t keep you sober.” Her London upbringing and love for 90s R&B resurface on ‘On A Low’ ft Skepta and ‘You 4 Me’, a reimagining of Tamia’s So Into You. Produced by Mystro, the track blends afrobeats with R&B nostalgia, showcasing Tiwa’s yearning vocals and their seamless creative partnership. Tiwa’s greatest reference vocally is Brandy. Having collaborated with the ‘vocal bible’ previously (‘Somebody’s Son’), songs such as ‘Holding It Down’ across this album, tribute this influence further. Album highlights include ‘10%’, one of Tiwa’s personal favourites, inspired by a night she walked out of a studio session after a late-night call. On ‘Addicted’, she teams up with Taves for a sultry back-and-forth that captures Tiwa in her most carefree, playful state. Tiwa concludes ‘This One Is Personal’ with an old friend. Starting her songwriting career alongside the now prolific James Fauntleroy, both remain a constant in one another’s life. At this milestone, Tiwa courted Fauntleroy initially to aid in ‘Change’’s production and songwriting.
Tiwa Savage, is at her most actualised at the other side of recording this album. Her accolades, consisting of EMA, MOBO and Headie wins, pioneering status, and longevity, pale in comparison to her sense of awareness, the illumination of her personal life, and ultimately her overcoming. With over two million monthly listeners at her feet, the world awaits the return of afrobeats and Nigerian pop dynasty. 
