Afrobeats superstar, Tiwa Savage has revealed the shocking truth behind her 2021 leaked sex tape, disclosing that it was circulated as part of a bet among acquaintances.
The singer described the incident as one of the most painful experiences of her life, an event that led her to pursue celibacy for the past three years.
Speaking on The Breakfast Club, Savage detailed the initial explanation she received from her boyfriend at the time, which she later discovered was a lie.
“He said he was trying to save it, and then he pressed send by accident,” she recalled. “I later on found out that it was a bet with his friends.”
The public assumption that she had orchestrated the leak for publicity added a further layer of pain to the ordeal. “They thought I did it for PR. A lot of people thought, ‘oh, she’s not relevant anymore, and she’s doing this.’ And I’m like, guys, trust me, if I wanted to do that, I would have had better lighting,” Savage stated, using humour as an initial coping mechanism.
However, she admitted that this approach only masked deeper hurt. “When I talked about the sex tape … that’s how I was able to kind of like, try and get through it. But in hindsight, did I really deal with it? I don’t think so. I was hurt… I was a victim.”
The singer attempted to pursue legal action but found the process too traumatic to continue. “We tried, actually. But yeah, we couldn’t. And me trying was just, it was just too traumatic for me to keep talking about it. I just wanted to move on from it,” she explained.
For Savage, the most damaging part of the backlash was the commentary about her role as a mother. “They brought my son into it and said I was unfit… my son’s gonna grow up and see this and he’s gonna be disappointed in his mom. That hurt me more than the actual thing,” she revealed.
The impact of the betrayal and public shaming seeped into her music. She confessed that recording one particular song about the experience was exceptionally difficult. “There were a lot of times I was crying, especially the first record. That took me like four attempts to record. Even now when I listen to the album, I skip that. I haven’t been able to perform it. It was tough.”
Throughout the turmoil, Savage credited her family for their unwavering support, sharing a poignant moment with her mother. “My mom called me and said, ‘don’t listen to them… I’m just happy that you’re enjoying yourself.’ Hearing my mom say that helped,” she said.
The experience has fundamentally reshaped her approach to love, intimacy, and self-care. Savage confirmed she now actively engages in therapy, despite outside opinions. “For therapy, yeah, a lot of people say to me you’re wasting your money. I’m like, what? I love my son, I love my team, my friends. I’ve been married before, I’m 45, I’m good.”
On her personal life, the singer was strikingly frank about her long period of celibacy. “I’ve gone like maybe three years without. I have to be with someone for me to even think about it. I don’t have toys… maybe that’s what people should get me for Christmas,” she joked, highlighting a journey from profound betrayal to a place of self-defined peace and resilience.
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