How I ‘Shamelessly’ Asked Don Jazzy To Sign Me Into Mavin – Tiwa Savage

Nigerian music star Tiwa Savage has revealed how determination—and a little “shamelessness”—helped her secure a record deal with Don Jazzy’s Mavin Records in 2012.

The award-winning singer recounted how her initial efforts to join Mo’ Hits Records were unsuccessful, even though she had collaborated with some of its members.

“I wasn’t part of Mo’Hits. I had done songs with Jazzy and stuff, but I wasn’t officially signed. So when he started Mavin, I went to him and said, ‘Can you sign me now?’

“I asked him again. Oh my God, I don’t have shame. I asked again. And then he just said yes—just like that,” she revealed in an interview with Afrobeats Intelligence.

Before landing the Mavin deal, Tiwa stated that she approached several major labels in Nigeria but was turned down.

“They all said no. I think it was because they didn’t believe blending R&B and Afrobeats would work. They’d say, ‘You’re a great singer, you look amazing,’ but I never got a call back.

“I had given up my house in L.A., sold my car, and told everyone I was moving back to Africa to become the next biggest thing. I couldn’t go back to L.A. and start writing songs for people again. I had to stay,’ she recounted.

The 45-year-old singer stated that although her breakthrough came with her debut single ‘Kele Kele Love’, which introduced her to the Nigerian audience, it was the follow-up, ‘Love Me’, that elevated her status as a star.

“When ‘Love Me’ dropped, it was like, ‘Wow! I could see it—this music thing could actually work.’”

Looking back on her time at Mavin, Tiwa Savage — often called the Queen of Afrobeats — said it shaped her not just as an artist, but also helped her grow as a businesswoman.

“Mavin is still like family. If something is going on, I’d run to Jazzy’s room, and we’d all gather—Sid, Reekado, Tega. We’d cry, talk, and get through it,” she said.

“Most labels don’t care about your personal issues, but at Mavin, it felt different. Don Jazzy is invested in you as a person, not just in your numbers.”

The mother of one also noted that the importance of choosing the right label only became clear after she left.

Tiwa said, “Who you sign to is very important. I didn’t appreciate it until after I left. Some labels see you as a dollar sign, and once you stop making hits, that’s it.”

In 2019, Tiwa signed a global deal with Universal Music Group (UMG), becoming the first Nigerian female act to join the label. Don Jazzy described their seven years together as “epic”