Noble Savage (album)
Noble Savage is the third studio album of the American heavy metal band Virgin Steele, released in 1985 by Cobra Records.
Development.
Before the recording of "Noble Savage", original guitarist Jack Starr resigned from the band and was replaced by Edward Pursino, an old friend of band frontman David DeFeis, whose guitar playing immediately fit very well with Virgin Steele's music and style. Pursino's contribution came also in the form of new musical ideas and compositions, and he is still a mainstay in Virgin Steele's line-up. DeFeis considers this album one of the most important in the history of the band.
"Noble Savage" was the first album where the band was completely satisfied with its music and sound. It is also the first album on which the current musical style of the band is fully manifested, containing grandiose compositions with multi-layered keyboard sound and more sophisticated arrangements. "Noble Savage" has become one of the most popular Virgin Steele albums and it includes the songs "We Rule the Night" and "Noble Savage", which the band still plays in concert.
Reissues.
"Noble Savage" was reissued in 1997 on CD by Noise Records with six bonus tracks. The remastered edition of 2008 by Dockyard 1 added two other extra tracks. In May 2011, the album was reissued once more by Steamhammer Records, a subsidiary of SPV, with the same track list as the 1997 release, but with an added bonus CD containing 13 additional tracks.
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Angels of the Apocalypse
Angels of the Apocalypse is the second full-length album by Timo Tolkki's Finnish metal opera project Avalon, released on May 16, 2014 in Europe and four days later in North America.
It is the second part of the trilogy created by Tolkki, written as a prequel to the previous album "The Land of New Hope".
As with the previous effort, several heavy metal singers were invited to play the characters of the story of the album, with female vocalist Elize Ryd of Amaranthe reprising her role and Floor Jansen (Nightwish, ReVamp) playing the main character. The rest of the cast includes Fabio Lione (Rhapsody of Fire, Angra), David DeFeis (Virgin Steele), Simone Simons (Epica), Caterina Nix (solo Chilean singer who is having her debut album produced by Timo Tolkki) and Zachary Stevens (ex-Savatage, Circle II Circle).
Background and recording.
The album started to be composed in August 2013 in Greece, to where Timo travelled to seek inspiration.
In October 2013, Timo Tolkki launched a news website for the project in which he announced the album, which was provisionally titled "Avalon II". Tolkki also announced he would be working with former Stratovarius bandmates Tuomo Lassila (drums) and Antti Ikonen (keyboards).
In late January, Tolkki revealed the name of the album and the remaining singers. Timo also announced that there will be a contest for guitar and keyboard players, with the winners getting a chance to perform a solo with him in one of the songs.
Once again, the artwork was created by French artist Stanis W. Decker.
Timo stated he created some songs with a specific singer in mind. The title-track will clock around 10:00. He also described the music of the album as "darker and heavier" than its predecessor, which was necessary due to the "Apocalyptic scenes described in the lyrics".
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David DeFeis
American heavy metal singer
David DeFeis (born January 4, 1961) is an American singer, songwriter and producer. He is the main composer, leader and sole constant member of the heavy metal band Virgin Steele.
Biography.
DeFeis comes from a theatrical family: his father is a Shakespearian actor who runs the theatre company "The Arena Players Theatre" while his sister Doreen is a gifted opera singer who performs all over Europe.
A big fan of European classical music, at 9–10 years old he was introduced to rock music by hearing the band Stalk, with his brother Damon (on organ and piano) and his sister Danae (on vocals), playing in the basement beneath his room. Damon DeFeis was later in the band Creation with future Kiss drummer Eric Carr, and died in the Gulliver's nightclub fire in 1974.
He began piano lessons at the age of eight. By age eleven, he began his career with Long Island's local heavy metal band Phoenix.
At 16 years old, he met for the first time his future partner Edward Pursino when DeFeis's band at the time, Mountain Ash, was auditioning for a gig at the high school dance. Mountain Ash was mainly a Black Sabbath cover band and, after the performance of the song "War Pigs", Pursino came over and introduced himself to DeFeis.
At the beginning of the 1980s, together with Jack Starr and Joey Ayvazian, he started the first line-up of the band Virgin Steele. They debuted in 1982 with the song "Children of the Storm" included in the compilation "U.S. Metal Vol. II".
In 1985, the guitarist Edward Pursino replaced Starr. Among the years, in their longtime relationship in Virgin Steele, DeFeis and Pursino released a lot of heavy metal classics such as the albums: "Noble Savage", "Invictus", "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell Part I", "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell Part II".
DeFeis collects swords: his collection includes more than 20 items. In studio, sometimes he uses his swords to create particular effects for the Virgin Steele songs, and during the concerts he usually burns a sword on stage.
Voice and musical style.
DeFeis is a classically trained pianist, with a bachelor's degree in composition from S.U.N.Y. Stony Brook. As vocalist, he is self-taught, possessing around four octaves and a four notes: E2-B6. He said he was very much influenced by guitar players like Jimmy Page, Brian May and Eddie Van Halen, because he wanted to do with his voice what they did with their guitars. He is also influenced by rock singers like Freddie Mercury, Robert Plant, David Coverdale, Ronnie James Dio and Ian Gillan.
The major part of the lyrics DeFeis writes are mythological, dealing with subjects from especially Greek, Sumerian and Christian mythology. All of them are based on real life in some form or another.
Metal opera and theatre.
Between the end of the 1990s and the 2000s (decade), he wrote music for actors based on the Oresteia and the Greek myths related by Aeschylus. According with German artists Walter Weyers and Martina Krawulsky, with the name "Klytaimnestra": "The House of Atreus" Metal Opera (musically available on the Virgin Steele's albums "The House of Atreus Act I", "The House of Atreus Act II") was performed on stage in Germany theaters by Landestheater Production.
The premiere of "Klytaimnestra" in Memmingen, June 5, 1999, has been the first ever regular musical theatre show based on heavy metal concepts.
After "Klytaimnestra" success, David DeFeis & Landestheater Production extracted a second metal opera musical, named "The Rebels", from the previous Virgin Steele's albums of the Marriage of Heaven and Hell trilogy ("The Marriage of Heaven and Hell Part I", "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell Part II", "Invictus").
In 2003, the same team released a third Metal Opera, named "Lilith", based on the material of album "Visions of Eden". "Visions of Eden" was later on published in CD in 2006.
Producer.
DeFeis owns his personal recording studio called: "The Hammer of Zeus" (sometimes also called "The Wrecking Ball Of Thor").
Virgin Steele's albums are produced by DeFeis.
He also produced albums released by other artists such as: "Out of the Darkness" and "No Turning Back" by Jack Starr, "Nightmare Theatre" by Exorcist, "Stay Ugly" by Piledriver, "The Sign of the Jackal" by Damien Thorn, "Sin Will Find You Out" by Original Sin.
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Savages (band)
English rock band
Savages are an English rock band that formed in 2011 in London. Their debut album, "Silence Yourself" was released on 6 May 2013 via Matador Records. It reached number 19 in the UK Albums Chart in May 2013, and was critically acclaimed. It peaked at number 5 on the Irish and the UK Independent Albums Chart, and at number 13 on the US "Billboard" Independent Albums chart. The band's second album "Adore Life", was released on 22 January 2016. Both albums were nominated for the Mercury Prize, in 2013 and 2016 respectively.
The band has not released new music since 2016 or performed live since 2017.
History.
Savages are a rock band from London. The band's guitarist Gemma Thompson had come up with the name for the band and had been discussing the idea with singer Jehnny Beth for almost a year. Thompson says the band's name was derived from books, such as "Lord of the Flies", that she read when she was younger. The band was eventually formed in October 2011 and they had their first gig in January 2012, supporting rock band British Sea Power. Their manager John Best also manages Sigur Ros. "The Observer" has said of Savages: "it's not exactly sexy, it's not funny and they're not going to be rolling around in mud like the Slits. But it's the closest thing to art that "post-punk"... has offered in a while". The "New Musical Express" described their performances as "frottage-inducingly intense affairs".
The group's first released tracks, a double A-side in June 2012, were "Flying to Berlin" and "Husbands" on the Pop Noire label. "The Guardian" wrote: "Husbands makes us dream of what it must have been like to have been around to hear, in real time, the debut releases by Public Image Ltd, Magazine, Siouxsie and the Banshees and Joy Division, to feel, as those incredible records hit the shops, that unearthly power and sense of a transmission from a satellite reality." In October, their concert at the CMJ Music Marathon in New York received good reviews. The "Chicago Reader" noted that their set was "influenced by Siouxsie & the Banshees, but with an anthemic quality that makes me think of PJ Harvey and heavy doses of the rhythmic jaggedness and angularity of British postpunk." The group expressed their liking for these bands, and added: "We listened to a lot of different music [...] Our influences are male and female in equal measure."
On 9 December 2012, the BBC announced that the band had been nominated for the Sound of 2013 poll.
The band's first album, "Silence Yourself", was released on 6 May 2013 via Beth's own label Pop Noire and Matador Records.
Savages played on the second day of the Coachella Music and Arts Festival in 2013 and were well received by reviewers. In 2014 the band, together with the Japanese art-rock four-piece Bo Ningen, performed "Words To The Blind", a sonic poem where both bands play simultaneously.
On two occasions the band asked local choreographers in London and New York City to perform a dance piece on a 30-minute version of their track ‘Dead Nature’ in the middle of the crowd. In a Pop Matters interview with Guy Mankowski the band discussed how at another of their events at the Ministry of Sound the crowd were placed around the musicians in order to ‘create total immersion and intimacy’.
"Husbands" was featured during the end credits of the 2015 science fiction film "Ex Machina".
In July 2015, Savages, A Dead Forest Index and choreographer/dance artist Fernanda Muñoz-Newsome created two nights of performance as part of "Station to Station: A 30-day Happening" at the Barbican Centre in London. The performances took place in the Barbican Gallery and incorporated music, poetry, dance and the interplay of light and darkness. The performances were recorded and released on vinyl at Station to Station.
In November 2016, the band curated their own program during the tenth Anniversary Edition of Le Guess Who? Festival in Utrecht, The Netherlands. The program included performances by Beak, Tim Hecker, Jessy Lanza, Bo Ningen and Hannah Peel.
The band's second album "Adore Life", was released on 22 January 2016 via Matador Records. The band then went on a world tour in support of the album, wrapping in July 2017 at Presqu'île de Malsaucy in Belfort, France. The band has not performed together or released new material since then, with each member instead focusing on other projects.
Side projects.
Beth released her first solo album "To Love Is to Live" in June 2020. She also actively teamed up with other musicians, such as the Strokes' frontman Julian Casablancas; as duet singer for a Sort Sol and Lydia Lunch cover, "Boy/Girl", Trentemøller; as featured artist in the song "Complicated" and as singer-songwriter for the song "River in Me", and Damon Albarn of Gorillaz; as featured artist, in the second single from album "Humanz", "We Got the Power" and with IDLES for their song "Ne Touche Pas Moi" on their 2020 album Ultra Mono. In 2017, she revealed a collaboration with Primal Scream front man Bobby Gillespie for her upcoming solo works. The two later made a studio album together, "Utopian Ashes", in 2021.
Hassan formed an experimental electronic duo with fellow bassist Kendra Frost as Kite Base in 2015. The band released their debut album, "Latent Whispers", in May 2017. Together with Milton, Hassan also formed Otomo X, an experimental collaborative group with London-based DJ and producer Martin Dubka. Milton and Hassan also formed a duo, 180dB, in 2018. Their debut single, "Road Trip," featured former Perfect Pussy vocalist Meredith Graves and Yeah Yeah Yeahs guitarist Nick Zinner. Hassan began her solo project, Esya, in 2019.
In June 2017, Thompson announced the introduction recordings/sketches of her solo project, Bashan, formed over several years whilst recording and touring extensively with Savages. She also worked with filmmaker and director Nick Ebeling, completing her first score for a 2016 American documentary film "Along For The Ride", which premiered at Venice Film Festival in 2016.
References.
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Conway Savage
Australian musician (1960–2018)
Conway Victor Savage (27 July 1960 – 2 September 2018) was an Australian rock musician. He was a member of Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, providing piano, organ & backing vocals from 1990 to 2017.
Savage released solo albums entitled "Nothing Broken" (2000) & "Wrong Man's Hands" (2004) as well as a compilation called "Rare Songs & Performances 1989–2004". He also collaborated with other artists such as Suzie Higgie for "Soon Will Be Tomorrow" in 1998 & "Quickie For Ducky" by Amanda Fox & Robert Tickner in 2007.
Biography.
Conway Victor Savage was born on 27 July 1960 and grew up in country Victoria where his parents were publicans. His brother, Frank Savage, is a part-time rock music cabaret singer and builder. His niece, Cash Savage, is the lead singer of the band Cash Savage and the Last Drinks. Savage began playing piano in his early teens in the dining room of one of the pubs his parents owned. He later recalled "I just really enjoyed it ... I could just sit down and play it and play it – it's a beautiful relaxation, until this day. But it wasn't like I was playing in the pub for nickels and dimes or anything. I was really embarrassed about it and I kept it pretty quiet".
From 1980 to 1981, Savage was on piano and backing vocals in Happy Orphans, with Jim White on drums. He was also in Scrap Museum over a similar time period. From 1982 to 1986 he was in a country music band, The Feral Dinosaurs, again with White. Other members of that group were Nick Danyi on saxophone and vocals; Dave Last on double bass and vocals; and Jim Shugg on guitar (ex-People with Chairs up Their Noses). The group issued a track, "Blue Day", on a various artists' compilation album, "Asleep at the Wheel" (1984). A single, "Ramblin' Man", followed before they released an extended play, "You've all Got a Home to Go To", in December 1985. Also in the 1980s he played in the Melbourne-based country-rock band, Dust on the Bible, with his sister-in-law Jane (Frank's wife) as lead vocalist. In 1988, with Last, he formed Dave Last and The Legendary Boy Kings, which included Bruce Kane on drums; Manny Markogiannakos on guitar; and Shane Walsh on bass.
In 1989 Conway Savage joined Dave Graney and the White Buffaloes on keyboards and played with them for all of that year, including recording the album My Life On The Plains for Fire Records. It was recorded at Sing Sing Studios in Richmond, Melbourne and was produced by Phil Vinall from the UK. Other members of the band included Rod Hayward on guitar and Chris Walsh ex of the Moodists (as were Dave Graney and Clare Moore). Savage joined Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds in 1990 on piano, organ and backing vocals to promote their sixth album, "The Good Son" (April 1990). He has since appeared on their studio albums including "Henry's Dream" (April 1992), "Let Love In" (April 1994), "Murder Ballads" (February 1996), "The Boatman's Call" (March 1997), "No More Shall We Part" (April 2001) and "Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus" (September 2004). In October 1995 Conway contributed lead vocals for "The Willow Garden", a B-side of the single, "Where the Wild Roses Grow". Due to the overall minimal piano parts on the band's fourteenth release, "Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!" (March 2008), Conway was used on backing vocals and hand claps.
Through the late 1980s and into the 1990s, he also guested on albums and singles for various fellow Australian musicians, including Kim Salmon, Dave Graney ("My Life on the Plain", 1989), David McComb ("The Message" EP, 1991), Spencer P. Jones ("Rumour of Death", 1994), and Robert Forster ("I Had a New York Girlfriend", 1995). Savage started to record his own solo material from late 1992, when he released a self-titled four-track EP. He provided lead vocals, piano and organ; and was assisted by fellow Bad Seeds members: Martyn P. Casey on bass guitar; and Mick Harvey on drums, guitar and backing vocals.
In late 1995, he linked up with singer-songwriter-guitarist Suzie Higgie (of Falling Joys) for the collaborative album "Soon Will Be Tomorrow". It was produced by Higgie's husband Matt Crosbie. Its release was delayed until after Falling Joys disbanded and appeared in June 1998 on Anchor & Hope, distributed by Shock Records. Liz Armitage of "Canberra Times" described the album as an "almost country-medieval record". Australian musicologist Ian McFarlane felt it was "a low-key and low-fi album of soft-hued country 'n' blues tunes" containing "sparse folk/pop tunes and quiet love songs". The duo toured to promote the album.
Savage released his debut full-length album "Nothing Broken" on his own label, Beheaded Communications, in 2000. He used Casey and Harvey; together with Charlie Owen on banjo and guitars (acoustic and electric); and Tony Wyzenbeek on harmonica. It was co-produced by Savage and his engineer, Dave McCluney. The musicians were recorded without Savage's vocals, which were added later, but just a piano guide track. A reviewer at 16horsepower.com felt "This somewhat blindfolded approach to the songs, results in a fresh, impromptu feel to this stately, contemplative album. Spontaneity has always been an essential element in the recording process for Savage, and this daring approach is vindicated once more". In August 2002 it was re-released in Europe by Cargo Records.
Savage's next solo album "Wrong Man's Hands", released in 2004, was recorded from late 2003 to early the next year on an 8-track in a room above the Union Club Hotel, Fitzroy, with members of Melbourne band The Stream, Amanda Fox and Robert Tickner. He admitted that he used a little James Joyce in one of his lyrics "but please don't sue me ... I probably owe you the price of a cup of coffee ... some of his words drifted into my imagination with the songs and next thing they – they just fitted like a glove and I just went with it". Savage's 2005 compilation album "Rare Songs & Performances 1989–2004" traced his various studio and live material recorded in Australia and Europe. Guest musicians include Casey, Fox, Harvey, Jones, Tickner, and White.
Savage, Fox and Tickner issued a collaborative album "Quickie for Duckie" in 2007, which was followed by Savage's solo effort "Live in Ireland" the next year. It had been recorded live at the Glens Centre Manorhamilton, Leitrim on 18 October 2008. "NME"'s Edwin McFee noted that Savage's vocals are "a bit like sand and glue. He may not be blessed with the purest set of pipes, but his quivering, piano-led renditions of songs from his last four albums frame his ragged, whiskey-soaked vocals perfectly".
In 2010, Savage, Fox and Tickner issued the six-track EP "Pussy's Bow", which had been recorded in Ireland's Tumbleweed Studios in Dundalk in the previous August. Recording engineers were Derek Turner and Jason Varley; while Savage supplied lead vocals, piano and keyboards; Fox was on organ, accordion, percussion and backing vocals; and Tickner delivered guitars and backing vocals. I-94 Bar's Barman reviewed the EP "If, like me, you think of him principally as Nick Cave's piano player, then you need to take a deeper dive ... [it] blows away some of the preconceptions of him as solely a country artist or (gasp) a Goth ... [it] is nothing but a record of contrasting moods. And a very good one".
Savage underwent medical and surgical treatment for a brain tumour in Brooklyn, NY in 2017. He died, aged 58, on 2 September 2018.
"Ghosteen" (2019), the Bad Seeds' seventeenth album, was dedicated to Savage.
Discography.
Conway Savage is credited with: organ, piano, keyboards, backing vocals, guitar, hand clapping, composer, producer.
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Cash Savage and the Last Drinks
Australian band from Melbourne
Cash Savage and the Last Drinks is an Australian band from Melbourne, formed in 2008 by singer and guitarist Cash Savage. Currently, the lineup also includes guitarists Joe White and Dougal Shaw, fiddlist Kat Mear, percussionist Rene Mancuso, keyboardist Roshan Khozouei and bassist Nick Finch. They have released five studio albums and one live album: "Wolf" (2010), "The Hypnotiser" (2013), "One of Us" (2016), "Good Citizens" (2018), "Live at Hamer Hall" (2020) and "So This is Love" (2023).
History.
2008–2014: Formation and "Wolf" and "The Hypnotiser".
Singer and songwriter Cash Savage grew up in Port Albert, in the Gippsland region of Victoria, and is the eldest of five children. Born into a musical family, Savage's uncle was Conway Savage, a veteran Australian rock musician and keyboardist for Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Savage began playing gigs around Melbourne at age 17.
In 2008, Savage formed the Last Drinks as her backing band, with no fixed line-up, but instead including whoever was available to play on any given night. A self-released, self-titled EP was released in 2008. Savage credits Fitzroy venue The Old Bar as the band's spiritual home. In 2010, the band released "Wolf".
The band's line-up was solidified in 2013, and they recorded "The Hypnotiser" at Head Gap Studios in Preston, Victoria, produced by Nick Finch (Graveyard Train) and engineered by Nao Anzai. The album was featured in year-end critic lists by Triple R, PBS 106.7FM, and Beat Magazine. "I’m in Love" was nominated for Best Song at the Music Victoria Awards of 2013.
2015–present: "One of Us" and "Good Citizens".
In 2015, the band was signed to independent Australian label Mistletone Records to release its third studio album, "One of Us" (2016). The album's lyrical content reflects a tumultuous personal period for Savage. Upon its release, "One of Us" received very favourable critical reviews from publications such as the Sydney Morning Herald, the Herald Sun, and Beat Magazine, and was named Album of the Week by Triple R. The album's success saw the band tour Europe in 2015 and 2016, playing shows and festivals in Czech Republic, France, Poland, Netherlands and Austria.
Following their first international tour, the band received distribution for their 2nd and 3rd albums across Europe by Beast Records.
2020–present: "Live at Hamer Hall" and "So This is Love ".
In 2020, in between lockdowns, Cash Savage &The Last Drinks were asked to perform at Melbourne’s iconic Hamer Hall to cameras and no audience. The show was so powerful that it was pressed as a live album by Glitterhouse Records in Germany, and Mistletone in Australia.
Reflecting on the Hamer Hall performance, Cash stated; “There were mixed emotions going into this performance. Melbourne had fared well through the first lockdown, and as we were rehearsing for this, it felt like we were going to come out of it okay. By the time we performed, it was the very beginnings of the second wave.
“Having the opportunity to play Hamer Hall was huge. It was an adjustment of expectations to think of it as a gig with no audience. We decided to make this something different — not a gig with no audience — its own thing. A performance in one movement. No gaps, no empty space. No back and forth with the crowd. Just us.
We didn’t intend on releasing it when we recorded it. It was performed for the moment.”
On the 28 April 2023, Cash Savage and the Last Drinks released their fifth studio album "So This is Love" through Mistletone in Australia and Glitterhouse in Germany. Rough trade said about the album - 'The theme of fragility runs through the album like a faultline. Fragile mental health, a fragile economy, the fragility of the environment and our personal relationships, all on the brink of collapse, threatening to crack under pressure; this is the fraught territory So This Is Love inhabits, and fearlessly explores. The opening three songs of the album flow into each other with increasing urgency, declaring the gravity of the situation. True to the album title, Cash Savage delves deep and with ferocious honesty into what love means to her, as a queer woman coming to terms with a marriage breakup and a mental breakdown. “All love will end, all love will change form”, Cash observes. “If you experience deep love, you don’t judge it as a failure if it doesn’t last. You can love someone after they die, you can love someone in a different way.” Romantic love, family love, the bonds of friendship, self-love and the affectionate intimacy of spending the night with someone are some of the forms that love takes, as the stories of So This Is Love unfold'.
Awards and nominations.
ARIA Music Awards.
The ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony held by the Australian Recording Industry Association.
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Music Victoria Awards.
The Music Victoria Awards (previously known as The Age EG Awards and The Age Music Victoria Awards) are an annual awards night celebrating Victorian music.
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National Live Music Awards.
The National Live Music Awards (NLMAs) commenced in 2016 to recognise contributions to the live music industry in Australia.
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Tiwa Savage
Nigerian singer and songwriter (born 1980)
Tiwatope Omolara Savage (born 5 February 1980), known professionally as Tiwa Savage , is a Nigerian singer, songwriter and actress. Savage sings in English, Nigerian Pidgin and Yoruba; her music is a blend of afrobeats, R&B, afropop, pop and hip-hop. Savage's contributions to the Nigerian music industry have earned her several achievements.
Born in Isale Eko, she relocated to London at the age of 11 for her secondary education. Five years later, she began her music career doing backup vocals for artists such as George Michael and Mary J. Blige. After participating in the UK edition of "The X Factor" and graduating from Berklee College of Music, Savage signed a publishing deal with Sony/ATV Music Publishing in 2009. Inspired by the growth of the Nigerian music industry, Savage moved back to Nigeria and signed with Mavin Records in 2012. She made an appearance on the label's 2012 compilation album "Solar Plexus".
Her debut studio album "Once Upon a Time" was released on 3 July 2013. It was supported by seven singles: "Kele Kele Love", "Love Me (3x)", "Without My Heart", "Ife Wa Gbona", "Folarin", "Olorun Mi" and "Eminado". The album was nominated for Best Album of the Year at the 2014 Nigeria Entertainment Awards and for Best R&B/Pop Album at The Headies 2014. On 19 December 2015, Savage released her second studio album "R.E.D", which yielded the singles "My Darlin" and "Standing Ovation". The tracks "All Over" and "Ma Lo" served as singles from Savage's six-track debut extended play (EP), "Sugarcane", which was released in September 2017. "R.E.D" and "Sugarcane" have both been nominated for Best Album at the Nigeria Entertainment Awards.
In November 2018, Savage won Best African Act at the 2018 MTV Europe Music Awards, becoming the first woman to win the category. In May 2019, she announced her record deal with Universal Music Group and exit from Mavin Records. Savage's third studio album "Celia", which was released in August 2020, yielded the singles "Attention", "Dangerous Love", "Koroba", and "Temptation". Her second extended play "Water & Garri", which blends Afrobeat with soulful R&B, was released on 20 August 2021. In March 2022, Savage announced the Water & Garri North American Tour in support of the EP.
Life and career.
1980–2009: Early life, career beginnings and songwriting.
Tiwatope Savage was born on 5 February 1980, in Isale Eko, Lagos State, Nigeria. Her family relocated to London when she was 11 years old. While attending secondary school, she was a trombone player for her school's orchestra band. Savage graduated with a degree in accounting from the University of Kent, and started working at The Royal Bank of Scotland. She did backup vocals for English singer George Michael at the age of 16, and lent vocals to other musicians such as Mary J. Blige, Chaka Khan, Blu Cantrell, Emma Bunton, Kelly Clarkson, Andrea Bocelli and Ms. Dynamite. Savage enrolled at Berklee College of Music and graduated with a degree in professional music in 2007. While reminiscing about her experiences there, she said she was motivated by the drive and passion of the younger students. She also said she needed the school's atmosphere.
In 2006, Savage participated in the UK edition of "The X Factor" and advanced to the final 24 but ended up being the 12th person to be evicted. While participating, she had difficulty dealing with the limelight. She said, "You have to always realize that people are watching. When I got the bad news that I wasn't getting through [to the final 12] it was a really painful time. But you still have to learn how to hold that until you get home. Because you don't want to just let everything out. People admire you and want to see that you're strong; they don't want to see you breaking down."
In 2009, Savage signed a publishing deal with Sony/ATV Music Publishing. The deal allowed her to write for Babyface, Kat Deluna, Fantasia, Monica and Mýa. She has received songwriting credits for her contribution to Monica's soul-tinged ballad "Catch Me". Her collaboration with Fantasia on the song "Collard Greens & Cornbread" earned the American recording artist a Grammy nomination in 2010. Savage wrote Jaicko's "Oh Yeah", featuring Snoop Dogg, and Deluna's "Push Push", featuring Akon. She performed background vocals on Whitney Houston's album "I Look to You" (2009). Inspired by the growth of the Nigerian music industry, Savage moved back to Nigeria and signed with Mavin Records in 2012.
2010–2013: "Once Upon a Time", record deal and endorsements.
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This album is straight from my heart and it's something that I've worked so tirelessly for.