I was so scared - Tiwa Savage talks about turning 40

By Davis Muli | 4yrs ago | 3 min read

Nigerian singer Tiwa Savage has admitted that she feared turning 40 years old as she thought that opportunities would now be scarce. According to the singer, who also doubles up as an actress, opportunities have come through, proving that age is just a number. "In December, I was so scared and I said, God, if this is it, if really, really, truly this is it, then just give me a sign. And he gave me the opposite, he gave me opportunities, I had a record with Sam Smith, and it's like so many other things that are happening that have never happened in my 20s," she said.

Tiwa added that she has become more comfortable and confident in sharing her age with the public. She revealed that every opportunity she gets to talk about her age, she proudly does so. "So God was saying to me age has nothing to do with that, and every platform, every interview, I have I always name dropped my age because I feel like a lot of people run away from it. So I always tell people, this is how old I am in case you find out outside, I'm going to let you know first," she added.

ALSO READ: Wizkid and I are friends with benefits: Tiwa savage

The mother of one stated that she realizes some of the opportunities she missed in her 20s, and it should be enough evidence that no one should give up on their dreams. "And I'm proud of it because I've never felt more confident. And I don't want a 20-year-old girl who's out there who hasn't won a Grammy or who hasn't been signed to feel like it's never going to happen, all you have to do is look at me," she said.

Tiwa recently opened up on attempting suicide twice after moving to the United Kingdom aged 10. In an interview with Black Box, she attributed her suicide attempts to depression from the bullying she faced while in high school because of her Nigerian accent. "When I got to school, it was horrible and I had an accent," she said.

ALSO READ: Tiwa Savage speaks on suicide attempts, police brutality in Nigeria

Narrating her ordeal, Tiwa recounted wanting to bleach her skin because of the constant taunting. "My first day I clearly cannot forget. I got to school late and my teacher could not pronounce my name. She then asked why I was late for school. Everyone started laughing. I was teased so badly. It was so bad I tried to kill myself two times. I was depressed and bullied," she said.

Shockingly, she revealed that the situation was so bad that she had a police escort her to the bus. "At some point, I used to have a police escort me to the bus. I wanted to bleach and started growing my hair. It was terrible," she recounted.