Tiwa Savage Opens Up About Motherhood and Raising Her Son

Nigerian music icon Tiwa Savage is getting real about the early struggles of motherhood and the beautiful transformation that followed.

Speaking on the Flow With Korty podcast, the "Celia" hitmaker opened up about a difficult truth many mothers face but few discuss publicly. When she learned she was having a boy in 2015, she cried because she'd always dreamed of having a daughter.

"Honestly, I didn't bond with my son for the first year or two," Savage admitted during the interview, which featured her son Jamil Balogun and his nanny. The postpartum period proved challenging as her body changed and baby Jamil cried constantly.

She even lost a major campaign with Pepsi during that time. "I just thought, 'This boy has destroyed me,'" she recalled.

But the story doesn't end there. Today, nine-year-old Jamil is his mother's closest companion. "Now, he is my best friend," Savage said with obvious warmth.

Sunny's Take

What makes this story special isn't just the celebrity confession. It's the grace Savage shows herself and other mothers who struggle with the picture-perfect narrative of instant maternal bonding.

Her honesty creates space for other parents to acknowledge their own complicated feelings without shame. Bonding doesn't always happen immediately, and that's okay.

Now Savage's focus has shifted to raising Jamil with strong values. She's intentional about teaching him to treat women with respect and dignity. "I always tell him, your mum suffered too, make sure you treat any girl like a queen," she explained.

She emphasized that her priority is raising him to be fundamentally kind. "He is going to make mistakes; he is not perfect. But at the core of him, I want him to be kind."

The interview also revealed that Savage recently purchased a three-bedroom apartment in London, currently under construction. She's living in temporary housing nearby, which happens to be near a presidential residence. "I feel safe, actually. I actually feel a little bit important because the President's house is in front," she joked.

Savage's vulnerability reminds us that the path to deep connection isn't always instant, but the journey can lead somewhere even more beautiful than we imagined.