Divorce led to my depression and transformed me into the African Bad Girl” – Tiwa Savage
Tiwa Savage, a well-known Nigerian musician, recently spoke about her 2018 divorce from Tunji ‘TeeBillz’ Balogun, sharing the difficulties she faced during and after their separation.
In an interview on The Receipts Podcast, Tiwa revealed that her ex-husband was the reason for their breakup, which happened while she was dealing with postpartum depression. She explained how harshly she was criticized, with many Nigerians attacking her character.
The 44-year-old singer remembered how influential people advised her to stay quiet to protect her image, even though the emotional toll was heavy. She shared how TeeBillz publicly disclosed their relationship issues, putting the blame on her and leading to widespread public backlash.
When Tiwa tried to explain her side of the story, she faced even more criticism. People told her she shouldn’t have spoken out, claiming she’d never win because she was a woman. She described it as a deeply painful experience.
Tiwa Savage shares her journey through the emotional pain of divorce
“When I came out, I was Nigeria’s sweetheart when I started and I could do no wrong in Nigerian’s eyes. I did everything by the book. I went to university and I wasn’t a baby mama. I got married then I had a baby so I did everything in the right order and everybody loved me and then everything happened.
“Then I started getting hate from blogs and I started getting hate from certain people. The way our situation happened, he announced it online. I didn’t break up with him but I was the one being attacked.
“At the time, my baby was just a few months old and I was dealing with postpartum and my body wasn’t the same and I was depressed. Everyone then went to him and only a few people came to see me.
“After I interviewed to tell my side of the story, it got worse. People were like ‘How dare you go and talk’ ‘You’re a woman and you’re supposed to build the house, it’s your fault’.
“I remember famous people calling me to ask how I could tell my side of the story cuz I’d never win. Ever since then, I was like I won’t ever talk about the situation because it was very heartbreaking how the public took it and blamed me.”
“It was an eye-opener for me and it made me depressed for so long. It got me angry then I became the ‘African Bad Girl.”
“I thought to myself that after doing everything right I was still attacked. Then I started getting tattoos and wearing short skirts and bikini. I was just wild.”
