In an audio obtained by Pulse Nigeria on June 8, 2021, Seyi Shay narrates her side of the story and made some accusations towards Tiwa Savage.
On June 8, 2021, Nigerian stars, Seyi Shay and Tiwa Savage met each other at Tayo Cuts, Triplet Studio, Lekki Phase One. It is a health and beauty salon that specializes in short hair treatment. Savage was there, already getting her hair done while Shay was there to get her hair done for her Idol’s appearance on Sunday, June 13, 2021.
Around 11 am, Shay could already feel the tension as she walked in and saw Tiwa Savage at the salon.
Their eyes met and Shay deemed it fit to go say hi to ease the tension. Their mutual presence in the same space was uneasy because of the reasons Pulse Nigeria covered in a report earlier today.
Shay recalls that she walked over to say hi to Savage, who greeted her back while they shared fleeting glances at each other. As further told by Seyi Shay and confirmed by an eyewitness, Savage walked over to Shay around 20 minutes later and the now-infamous argument began.
A shocked Shay says that Savage’s beef with her was not about the #FvckYouChallenge verse she recorded in April 2019 because they have met each other more than twice since her #FvckYouChallenge and they exchanged pleasantries on all occasions.
“We’ve even entered private jet together, we’ve taken pictures together,” Shay recalls.
To her, the beef is way more than that.
2010
After having writing credits for acts like Fantasia Barrino and working with producer Harmony Samuels in Los Angeles, California, Tiwa Savage returned to Nigeria with her manager and ex-husband, Tunji ‘Teebilz’ Balogun with popstar dreams.
Alongside Davido who was co-signed by Tosin Ashafa, Savage was signed by Flytime CEO, Cecil Hammond. It was at this time that Savage and Davido briefly became roommates. While in Nigeria, Hammond pitched Savage to some producers including Don Jazzy, but the arrangement didn’t work out.
But by August 2010, Savage’s National Anthem became the toast of Nigeria. A little while later with a financial push from Hammond, she went back to Los Angeles to work with Harmony Samuels and came back with ‘Kele Kele Love,’ which became a smash hit. From there, she never looked back and later joined MAVIN Records.
After losing Savage, Hammond once again worked his magic and brought on Seyi Shay to recreate the magic and he did. Like clockwork, Shay also shares ties with Harmony Samuels, who produced her first single, ‘No Lele.’ Under the watchful eye of Hammond, Shay rose and became a bonafide star of Nigerian pop music.
In those moments, the seeds of beef were first planted.
Lova Lova
Shay was in America when she saw a video of ‘Lova Lova’ featuring Duncan Mighty pop up on her television screen. Surprised alongside members of her team, she placed a call to Tiwa Savage to clarify her stance. She had co-written the song with Nigerian singer-songwriter, Ceeza Milli who passed it to Savage without prior notice.
Shay claims that she only asked for metadata and rights to the song but she was confronted by roadblocks.
2014-2017: Brand deals and collaborations
In 2014, Shay had butted heads with a pregnant Savage.
In the same audio that Pulse obtained, Shay says that Savage threatened to sue a brand if she [Shay] wasn’t pulled from an ambassadorial role. A little while later, Savage also allegedly picked a fight with a popular male artist for featuring on a song for the two female artists respectively.
2019-2021: FvckYouChallenge and back to Tayo Cuts
In April 2019, Seyi Shay took aim at Tiwa Savage with subtle jabs in her version of Kizz Daniel’s viral #FvckYouChallenge.
She said;
You say you be my sister, but you wan collect my lover
You be deceiver, olofofo heart robber
Na why I no dey fuck you anymore
I no get time for you anymore
You know I’m not Savage, I dey pay my bills
You no go see my name for the Xscape
But [Prostitute] come be your hobby
Na so you come take first rate their hobby…
Shay also appeared to take shots at Savage for allegedly trying to block other women in the industry.
With what happened at Tayo Cuts in June 2021, Seyi Shay feels like she could have said more damaging things in the verse.
To Shay, her #FvckYouChallenge verse was a culmination of all the things she’s experienced with Tiwa Savage.
You can listen to Seyi Shay’s full account below;
