I Don't Consider Tiwa Savage a Friend - Yemi Alade Fuels Up 'Beef' with Mavin First Lady

 

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Punch newspaper, the current best female artiste in Africa, Yemi Alade, fueled up the rivalry with her fellow songstress, Tiwa Savage.

 

Below are excerpts from the chat;

 Background

I was born in Abia State. My late father, a Yoruba man, was a retired commissioner of police, while my mother is an Igbo-born businesswoman. I wasn’t one of those kids that attended parties, because my father was a disciplinarian. However, growing up was fun for me.

 

Music

I grew up listening to music because when I was a child, my father loved to listen to King Sunny Ade. I never wanted to become an artiste but I loved music. It was when I won the Peak Talent Show that I realised that I needed to make a career out of it. My mum was the first person to believe in me and she has always supported me. She often gave me money to buy clothes and prepare for shows.

 

Sexual harassment

Record label owners and show promoters are all guilty of this. Sexual harassment comes in different levels; some are intense, some are subtle, and some even come through third parties. However, I’ve never found myself in a situation that felt very uncomfortable. Once I see the signs, I run and the person would not even have the opportunity to go through with his evil plans. There are some people who I looked up to in the industry but surprisingly, they also wanted sex.

 

Memorable moments

Each day is another opportunity for me to be thankful. The great moments are so many, but I know that the numero uno is yet to come. That moment would be when I bring home a Grammy However, there are a lot of moments I cherish, and representing Africa at the Make the Future Campaign done in partnership with Shell is one of them. Superstars like Jenifer Hudson were on that campaign, and I was the only African.

 

Lowest point

That was the moment my dad died, and I wasn’t there with him; it shook me a lot. I was on an European tour when it happened.

Tiwa Savage, Seyi Shay and Chidinma

I don’t know why the media takes pleasure in pitting great women against one another. Have you ever seen any text message from any of us lambasting another person? There’s no proof of these things; it’s just in the imagination of people. I’ve never stopped working and I was already working before Tiwa Savage came to Nigeria. I am a fan of their music, and on my Snapchat page, I usually dance to their songs. I do not consider Tiwa Savage a friend because I don’t know her favourite colour or meal and other intimate things. She is just my colleague.

 

Relaxation

I take good wine, watch good movies, eat good food, and generally take life easy.

 

Relationship

Other than being an entertainer, I have my personal life. If I’m going to be in a relationship with someone in the same profession with me, I’d have to be deeply in love with the person’s personality. If the personality suits me, why not? Personally, I think I’m a reserved and nice girl. I’m also a hopeless romantic; movies easily make me cry. The last movie that made me cry was a cartoon in which a little dinosaur lost his mum.