Singer Tiwa Savage has revisited the trauma of her sex tape scandal, dismissing claims that she leaked the video to gain public sympathy.
The video, which surfaced in 2021 after she refused to pay a blackmailer, sparked massive criticism online.
Speaking on Hot 97, the Afrobeats star said she was unfairly treated. “I was bashed for that video. A lot of people think that I was just trying to get sympathy. Not just regular people, people with platforms were quite horrible and blamed me,” she said.
Tiwa added that many failed to see she was the victim. “I don’t know how they couldn’t see that I was a victim in this. People said I was doing it to be relevant. If I were doing that, I would’ve been intentional about it. I would have used better lighting, lingerie, and my facial expressions would have been on point.”
She also explained how she coped at the time. “The only way I could have survived was not to think about it,” she recalled.
The singer said the episode came at a time she was grieving her father’s death, describing it as one of the lowest moments of her life.
Despite the controversy, Tiwa has continued to thrive musically. In July, she released her sixth studio album This One Is Personal, which she described as her most vulnerable work yet, touching on grief, heartbreak and renewal.
