{"id":7395,"date":"2024-05-09T19:38:20","date_gmt":"2024-05-09T19:38:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=7395"},"modified":"2024-05-09T19:38:20","modified_gmt":"2024-05-09T19:38:20","slug":"tiwa-savage-triumphs-in-the-film-water-and-garri","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=7395","title":{"rendered":"Tiwa Savage triumphs in the film \u2018Water and Garri\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n \t<\/i> Read Time:<\/span>9 Minute, 42 Second <\/div>\n\n <\/div>

Tiwa Savage\u00a0has long held a unique position in African music as the\u00a0leading female artist in the Afrobeats genre.<\/p>\n

After headlining global tours, collaborating with Beyonc\u00e9 and Brandy, and championing newcomers, Tiwa Savage is embarking on her next venture: starring in and executive producing her debut full-length feature film, \u201cWater and Garri.\u201d<\/p>\n

The film, slated for global debut on Prime Video on May 10, follows Aisha, a successful fashion designer, as she returns to Nigeria after a decade in the United States.<\/p>\n

She\u2019s taken aback by the profound changes that have swept through her homeland and the people she once knew. Set to the evocative soundtrack of the same name, Aisha\u2019s journey unfolds to reveal poignant cultural shifts.<\/p>\n\n

The accompanying soundtrack is a key component of the experience, as the film\u2019s tracklisting mirrors Aisha\u2019s interactions and feelings throughout.<\/p>\n

The soundtrack makes heavy use of live instrumentation and ambient sound effects to create an immersive experience while Tiwa returns with her signature overtone singing. The project includes an array of sonic elements from Afrobeat and Afropop to amapiano to R&B, gospel, and hints of mainstream trap and pop.<\/p>\n

Featured are Grammy-nominee Ayra Starr, and Afro-reggae fusion artist Black Sherif, with highlight contributions from Olamide and rising Nigerian star Young Jonn.<\/p>\n

b.gray<\/p>\n

\u201cWater and Garri\u201d draws inspiration from Tiwa\u2019s eponymously titled 2021 EP, and her journey as a Nigerian-born British woman who ventured to Brooklyn to ignite her music career as a songwriter. Directed by Meji Alabi, this marks his debut in full-length filmmaking. The film also stands as an investment from major entertainment conglomerates as the demand for African content continues to rise and stabilize.<\/p>\n

\u201cAudiences worldwide crave well-crafted, contemporary African narratives, and \u2018Water & Garri\u2019 delivers precisely that with a fresh perspective,\u201d said Ayanna Lonian, director of content acquisition at Prime Video. \u201cBoth Meji Alabi, in his directorial role, and\u00a0Tiwa Savage, as the lead, have truly delivered a stellar debut alongside an exceptionally talented cast and crew.\u201d<\/p>\n

Additionally, a commitment to authenticity is evident as a Nigerian production company collaborates with Prime Video and Tiwa\u2019s production team.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are thrilled to collaborate with Prime Video, who grasp the significance of this cultural milestone celebrating the intersecting power of film and music, especially emanating from Africa at this exciting time,\u201d said Jimi Adesanya, producer and Unbound Studios executive.<\/p>\n

Variety<\/em> caught up with Tiwa Savage in New York to discuss the film, her journey with her own African identity, challenging herself at this stage in her career, and much more.<\/p>\n

The name of this film is \u201cWater and Garri,\u201d which is also the name for your 2021 EP. Why did you decide to keep the name the same; is there a connection between the two?<\/strong><\/p>\n

When the \u2018Water and Garri\u2019 EP came out, I had no idea of doing a feature film. I thought, \u2018Okay, I\u2019m just getting bored of doing music videos.\u2019 I wanted to do a visual album. I was inspired by (Beyonce\u2019s) \u201cBlack is King\u201d and Kanye\u2019s films.<\/p>\n

Then we were like, \u2018Okay, we\u2019re going to do a visual album.\u2019 I got the script and I was like, \u2018This is amazing. Let\u2019s do a short film instead.\u2019 We started shooting it and it ended up being a full feature. And so I couldn\u2019t change the name. It felt like there was nothing else that fit. Water to Garri is like love to pain and that resonates a lot in the movie. Now the EP is a standalone project and we have a completely new soundtrack for the movie.<\/p>\n

Why did this feel like the right time now to go into acting? Had film opportunities come up for you before?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve gotten many roles before but I wasn\u2019t ready. Acting was my first love before music. So I knew I was going to go back to it at some point. Why now? Honestly, I got bored. I got bored of, producing the album, doing music videos, and then going on tour and moving to the next thing. I was like \u2018No, I need to do something else.\u2019 Not completely forgetting music but I needed to be challenged. I needed to be scared. And, and this is a this is a good scare.<\/p>\n

I also feel like, many of us, I\u2019d say, Wizkid, Davido, Burna Boy, are at a place where we\u2019ve established ourselves as household names, and at this point can do something new or do anything that we want to do.<\/p>\n

You worked with director Meji Alabi, a previous music video collaborator, and with this being your first film, how did he support you? What was the creative and preparation like?<\/p>\n

This is his first [film] and this is my first so it\u2019s special for both of us. Meji was amazing. Because it started out as a short and then evolved, the pressure wasn\u2019t there for either of us. I took acting classes in London for a couple of weeks. One of the things that they helped me with on set was [staying in character]. They made sure that everybody kept calling me Aisha. The whole team, Meji, and my partners Jimmy and Vanessa \u2013 everybody was incredible.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s good to know that you had like a group of people around to make you feel safe.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve worked with [Jimmy and Vanessa] for years. We clicked, from day one. So they can tell when I\u2019m a bit nervous about something and they\u2019ll give me a shot of tequila.<\/p>\n

This soundtrack explores a lot of Afrobeat elements but also showcases experimental concepts with jazz, gospel, and more. Was there any hesitation to stepping a bit outside of your comfort zone?<\/p>\n

People expect a certain sound from me. So by doing a soundtrack, I could [experiment]. The title track with Richard Bona and the Cavemen is very jazz. I was able to do so many things because obviously, it\u2019s a soundtrack.<\/p>\n

I went to Berklee [College of Music] and I studied jazz. My background is jazz and R&B \u2014 but, even though that\u2019s my background, I didn\u2019t start as a jazz artist. I kind of have to ease my fans into those types of genres and show them that I can do that.<\/p>\n

You were among the first to modernize African music and bring it to the global stage and really break out of that \u201cAfrobeats\u201d box people tend to place African music in. On your \u201cWater and Garri\u201d EP, you worked with Amaarae, who is also praised for defying genres. Is that intentional?<\/p>\n

Amaarae is incredible. I love that people expect me to be African and I\u2019m going to always be African. I don\u2019t have to wear dashiki or have braids (laughs<\/em>) but I am, what I am. But yes, I like to experiment but African culture \u2013 I would either put it in my fashion or put it in my music, always. It\u2019s because it\u2019s beautiful to be African, I\u2019m sorry, like, I\u2019m not ashamed of it at all! That\u2019s especially important in a time where some African artists are saying, \u201cDon\u2019t box me in an Afrobeats. Don\u2019t call me an Afrobeat artist.\u201d<\/p>\n

I think everybody has different experiences. Some artists were born and bred in Africa, so for them, they want to explore other things. Although I was born in Africa, I lived in London and I lived in America\u2026 when I was growing up in London, I was bullied for being African. And now, it\u2019s the coolest thing. It\u2019s the coolest thing. So for me, I have a different perspective. Like, I\u2019m not, I\u2019m not trying to shy away from it at all. In fact, I\u2019m running more towards it because I lived away from Africa for so long.<\/p>\n

You just spoke about having to leave home at points and go chase after your career. Your character, Aisha, reflects that experience \u2014 she leaves home for 10 years and she comes back to everything being so different. Did you at any point experience that?<\/p>\n

I would always go back in December. [December is a high tourist and celebration season in Nigeria and other parts of Africa] And when you go back in December, I don\u2019t really feel like you really experienced Nigeria. You\u2019re experiencing the fun parts of Nigeria. Now when I moved back and I was there for like a few months, I was like, \u2018This isn\u2019t dirty December (laughs).\u2019<\/p>\n

You\u2019ve worked with so many up-and-coming artists. You\u2019ve previously worked with Ayra Starr and now you have Ayra on this project as well. We spoke about Amaarae earlier. You also have Black Sherif on this project as well. Is working with new artists a conscious effort or does it just happen<\/strong><\/p>\n

It literally just happens. I\u2019m just a lover of music and a lover of artists. So I just want to work with anybody. I don\u2019t care if you have 10 streams or 10 million streams. like As long as the song is great. I didn\u2019t plan to work with mostly up-and-coming artists, but I also feel like they\u2019re more hungry. I feel like when two big artists come together, there\u2019s too many [logistics], and then it just gets complicated. It\u2019s always, it\u2019s always just fun to just work with someone new and someone who is just hungry for it.<\/p>\n

You\u2019re obviously in the midst of promoting and supporting this film and its accompanying soundtracks but what sonic direction can people expect from your next studio album?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019m not really thinking of collaborations right now. I\u2019m just recording. It started off as an Afro R&B, I don\u2019t know [the words for it in English]. It\u2019s just music because I\u2019ve just got so many different sounds. Now, the challenge is to tie it all and make it sound like an album, not like just different songs that I\u2019ve just put together.<\/p>\n

So, I\u2019m trying to find something to tie everything together. But individually, all the songs are magical and I\u2019ve got lots of live instruments. I\u2019m recording some parts in New Orleans and Nashville as well. So it\u2019s a, it\u2019s a different sound, but like I said, it\u2019s always going to have the African element. I\u2019m really excited because I\u2019m not, limiting myself to anything and vocally too. I\u2019m pushing myself like I\u2019m singing, singing [laughs].<\/p>\n

What do you hope people take away from this film?<\/strong><\/p>\n

First of all, if they\u2019ve never been to Africa, they should come because the way Meji shot it was so beautiful. And I\u2019d say not being afraid to pursue your dream. Where Aisha she\u2019s coming from, you would never imagine that she could be anything. But she ended up being very successful as a fashion designer, but then she still went back home. So, I think the film can encourage anyone. I don\u2019t care if you\u2019re from the slums, all it takes is just that dream and it definitely can happen. Whatever you put out, what you speak with your tongue, it has to \u2013 it will to come back.<\/p>\n

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Tiwa Savage\u00a0has long held a unique position in African music as the\u00a0leading female artist in the Afrobeats genre. After headlining global tours, collaborating with Beyonc\u00e9 and Brandy, and championing newcomers,… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7396,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_2277560469115098_106292521332774":"","twitter_aToxNzczMzI3Njk4OTg4ODUxMjAxOw==_1773327698988851200":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7395","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7395","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7395"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7395\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7396"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7395"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7395"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7395"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}