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SOURCE: edition.cnn.com
Global Afrobeats star Tiwa Savage, 46, is deepening her investment in the future of African music. She’s launching the Tiwa Savage Music Foundation and partnering with Berklee College of Music to expand access to world-class music education in Nigeria.
The foundation’s inaugural initiative is the Berklee in Nigeria: Tiwa Savage Intensive Music Program. Berklee faculty will come to Lagos from April 23–26, 2026 to lead a fully funded, four-day intensive training session for 100 emerging Nigerian music creators. This program marks the first Berklee College of Music event in West Africa and a milestone for a region driving rapid growth in the global music economy.
“Afrobeats has captured the world’s attention, but attention alone is not enough to sustain an industry. Talent is universal — but access is not,” the singer told CNN.
The program combines theory with real-world application, including music production, songwriting, sound engineering, harmony, and ear training — the ability to identify musical elements, such as pitches, chords, and melodies by sound alone. It also covers music publishing, copyright, and elements of entertainment law.
“You’d be surprised how much you can learn in four days,” Savage said in an exclusive interview with CNN. “It gives you a taste of what’s possible and exposes you to parts of music you may not even realize you’re drawn to.”
The program culminates in live ensemble performances, during which standout participants may be identified for future scholarships to Berklee in Boston, Massachusetts, or for online coursework — positioning the intensive program not as a one-off experience but as a springboard into long-term education, global careers, and sustainable pathways within the music industry.
Savage says the foundation was born out of both experience and urgency. At leading international music schools, annual tuition alone can range from $40,000 to $60,000, excluding living expenses, placing formal music education far beyond the reach of most young creatives in Nigeria and across the continent. By covering all tuition costs, Savage says the foundation is designed to close that gap and turn opportunity into access.
“It’s been something I’ve wanted to do for years,” she said.
As a young artist, Savage received a scholarship to attend Berklee, an opportunity she credits with fundamentally reshaping her career. There, she was exposed not only to performance but to the full structure of the music business: production, sound engineering, publishing, film scoring, and other disciplines that power the industry behind the scenes.
“That experience changed how I saw music,” she said. “It made me realize that talent alone isn’t enough. Structure, education, and exposure are what allow creatives to compete globally.”
The Tiwa Savage Music Foundation is designed to address that gap. Its mission extends beyond artists, focusing on producers, composers, engineers, and music business professionals — roles Savage describes as essential to building a sustainable creative economy.
“The music industry is a value chain,” she said. “You can be the most talented artist in the world, but without the people who create, capture, protect, and monetize music, there is no industry. If we want African music to last five, 10, 20 years from now, we have to invest in the entire ecosystem.”
The timing is significant. Sub-Saharan Africa is one of the fastest-growing regions for recorded music globally. Revenues surpassed $110 million in 2024, according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI). Afrobeats streams on Spotify have grown by more than 500% in the past five years. Nigeria is one of Africa’s largest music export markets and has one of the youngest populations globally, with a median age of about 18.
Savage warns that without education and institutional support, African creators risk remaining globally visible but economically vulnerable.
“We have the world’s attention now,” she said. “But education is what turns visibility into empowerment. It gives creatives the tools to move from being just talent to becoming leaders, innovators, and stakeholders in the global industry.”
Beyond the Lagos intensive program, the foundation’s long-term goals include awarding scholarships for Nigerian students to study at Berklee in Boston and ultimately, establishing a permanent music school in Nigeria.
“That’s the bigger vision,” Savage said. “To build something that outlives me— something that creates structure, opportunity, and ownership for future generations of African creatives.”
Applications for the Berklee in Nigeria: Tiwa Savage Intensive Music Program open February 24, 2026, and close March 20, 2026. The program is fully funded with no tuition required for accepted participants.
