Nigerian music star Tiwa Savage has revealed that her glamorous image wasn’t always part of her personality, stating that she was originally a tomboy before stepping into the spotlight.

Speaking on the Afrobeats Intelligence podcast hosted by Joey Akan, Tiwa reflected on her early days as a songwriter in the U.S., where she typically wore baggy clothes and kept a low profile. Things changed, however, when she met her ex-husband and former manager, Tunji "Teebillz" Balogun, who took it upon himself to rebrand her entire look and public image.

“I wasn’t always seen as sexy. That side of me really came out when I moved back to Nigeria to pursue a music career. Teebillz saw a gap in the market and felt I could fill it. He told me I had to hit the gym, groom my brows, start wearing wigs—he literally revamped everything about my appearance,” she said.

She described the transformation as groundbreaking at the time, especially around the release of her 2014 single Wanted, which drew strong public reaction. “I had just gotten married and the media was already saying I was no longer desirable, that my time was up. So, I decided to shock everyone,” she recalled.

Despite embracing the new image, Tiwa admitted that she faced intense backlash when she returned to Nigeria. Her fashion choices were often criticized, and she was even denied stage time at some events due to her outfits. She also revealed that her video for Love Me was once banned from television.

“I wasn’t trying to be sexy just for attention—it was me responding to the narrative that I was done. I ran back to L.A. at some point, feeling discouraged. But then I got a call from Bizzle who told me women were actually supporting me. That gave me the strength to come back,” she shared.

Tiwa added that at the beginning of her journey in Nigeria, several major record labels—including Storm Records, Mo’Hits, and EME—turned her down.