The moment I saw Tiwa Savage listed as one of the headliners for this year’s Meltdown Festival, curated by Little Simz at the iconic Southbank Centre, I knew exactly what I was in for — a time. A time down memory lane, a time of angelic vocals, pure creative energy and nostalgia wrapped in elegance.
Tiwa’s music has soundtracked so many moments for me. Once Upon A Time, my cousin and I used to drive to my internship in Lagos, blasting her debut album in an old Honda Civic like it was gospel. So, this being my first time seeing her live, the expectations were high — and she met every single one.
Let’s start with how early she hit the stage — no delays, no fuss — just a cinematic, spellbinding intro that pulled us straight into her world. She opened with “Save My Life” from her Celia album, and from there, it was hit after hit, moment after moment. Sometimes we stood in awe, other times we sat back and let the vocals wash over us.
And she’s funny too? Tiwa had us cracking up in between songs, throwing in cheeky self-praise that the crowd absolutely ate up. “Talk your sht, girl!”* someone screamed, and we all agreed. She gave love to her mum, her dad, her friends, even her English teacher in the audience — it was giving love, gratitude, and legacy.
But wait — I’m not even done.
After the show, I got to meet her backstage and… let’s just say I froze. Cold feet. I said absolutely nothing that made sense. But it didn’t matter. I’d just witnessed the queen of Afrobeats in her full glory.
Can’t wait to experience her again.
This one? I’ll remember for a long, long time.
Images by : Cellotapes for Meltdown Festival 2025
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