R.E.D | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | December 19, 2015 | |||
Recorded | 2013–2015 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 60:00 | |||
Label |
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Producer | ||||
Tiwa Savage chronology | ||||
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Singles from R.E.D | ||||
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R.E.D is the second studio album by Nigerian singer Tiwa Savage. It was released on December 19, 2015, by Mavin Records and 323 Entertainment. [1] The album features guest appearances from Don Jazzy, Olamide, Dr SID, Iceberg Slim, 2face Idibia, D'Prince, Busy Signal and Reekado Banks. It was primarily produced by Don Jazzy, along with additional production from Baby Fresh, Altims, Spellz and P2J. The album was supported by the singles "My Darlin" and "Standing Ovation". Its deluxe edition was released in February 2016, and features collaborations with Wizkid and P-Square. [2] R.E.D was nominated for Best Album at the 2016 Nigeria Entertainment Awards. [3]
R.E.D is an acronym for Romance, Expression and Dance. It revolves around themes of sex, love and religious tropes. [4] Savage recorded the album while pregnant with her son. [5] R.E.D was made available for free digital streaming on MTN Music, and was reportedly intended for release on December 21, 2015. [6] [7] Within 24 hours of its release, it became the most-streamed album of all time on the music platform. [6] Mavin Records promoted the album by launching a meme generator through the website i-am-red.com. The website's interface allowed users to create a meme by uploading their pictures and entering values for the R.E.D acronym. Users had the option to enter text in the fields or choose from pre-defined suggestions. Users were encouraged to share their images on social media sites with the #IamRED hashtag. [8]
While promoting the album in London, Savage stopped by BBC Africa's London Studio and spoke to Bola Mosuro about the project. [9] She held an album listening party at an Industry Nite event and performed all the songs on the album. [10] She also unveiled the album's cover art and narrated stories about each song on it. [11] Guest in attendance included Fade Ogunro, Don Jazzy, Dr SID, D'Prince, Di'Ja, Korede Bello, Waje, 9ice, Tomi Odunsi, MC Galaxy and Iceberg Slim. [12]
In the fuji-inspired street anthem "Standing Ovation", Savage appears tough and plays up her credibility. [4] In "Adura", Don Jazzy channels Ebenezer Obey and incorporates drums and bass-guitar melodies. [4] The secular track "African Waist" contains elements of Afro-Caribbean music and dubstep; its production features full horns, muted-trumpet solos and saxophone riffs. [4] Echezonachukwu Nduka of Praxis Magazine said the song is "experimental in both rhythmic and vocal delivery". [13] "We Don't Give a Damn" is composed of martial-like band music and muted trumpet riffs. [13] "Rewind" has elements of Middle Eastern music, while the Dr SID-assisted track "If I Start to Talk" is grounded in Afrobeat. [5] "Make time" is reminiscent of reggae music from the 1980s. [5] The dancehall pop track "Key to the City" features vocals by Jamaican singer Busy Signal. [5] The emotional track "Bang Bang" has been described as the classic romance template in microcosm. [5] The Reekado Banks-assisted track "Go Down" is thematically about oral sex. [14] In "Love Me Hard", 2Baba reworked a line from his Grass 2 Grace album. [14] In the D'Prince-assisted track "Before Nko", Savage brags about her sexual drive. [14] Nduka criticized the song for appropriating Faze's "Need Somebody". [13]
"My Darlin" was released as the album's lead single on October 8, 2014. [15] It was jointly produced by Don Jazzy and Baby Fresh. [15] The accompanying music video for "My Darlin" was directed by Kemi Adetiba. [16] In the video's opening scene, Savage plays the role of an older woman who jokes about a wedding party in a room full of bridesmaids. [16] The video also depicts images of Savage's wedding gown and a non-linear portrait of a loving yet tragic relationship. [16] The Olamide-assisted track "Standing Ovation" was released on January 14, 2016, as the album's second single. [17] The accompanying music video for "Standing Ovation" was shot and directed by Clarence Peters. [18]
A carnival-themed music video for "African Waist" was shot in South Africa and released in December 2015. [19] In the video, Don Jazzy plays the role of a fitness instructor. Princess Abumere of Pulse Nigeria described the song as a "cheerful fusion of soul calypso and afrobeat". [19] The Peters-directed music video for "If I Start to Talk" was released in April 2016. [20] A teaser clip of the video was released the previous day. [20] Tope Delano of TooXclusive said the song is a "deeply personal and raw account of Tiwa's life story". [21] The music video for the Wizkid-assisted track "Bad" was released in July 2016, a day after the confirmation of Savage's Roc Nation deal. [22] It was directed by Sesan Ogunro and features cameo appearances from Banky W, Funke Akindele and Denrele Edun. In the video, Wizkid and Savage are seen putting up graffiti on the wall. [22] The accompanying video for "Rewind", which was recorded by Peters, was released in October 2016. Nigerian actor Emmanuel Ikubuese plays Savage's love interest in the video. [23] [24]
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Pulse Nigeria |
R.E.D received mixed reviews from music critics. In a review for 360nobs, Wilfred Okiche characterized the album as "a basic Nigerian pop record" despite it boasting "an interesting concept driven title". [4] Okiche also opined that Savage is more grounded on the album and knows who her target audiences are. [4] A writer for Pulse Nigeria described the album as a "singer-songwriter's album through and through" and said it is "personal and organic, fresh and contemporary without being beholden to conformist radio sounds". [5]
Reviewing for Music in Africa, music journalist Oris Aigbokhaevbolo praised Savage for "producing an album deserving of the attention she craves", but cited the unevenness of the songwriting as its weakness. [14] Ade Tayo of Simply African Music said R.E.D is quite inferior to Once Upon a Time from a direction and cohesive standpoint. [25] Echezonachukwu Nduka of Praxis Magazine praised the album for staying true to its themes, but ended the review saying the "high presence of featured artistes robs her of full credits". [13]
Year | Awards ceremony | Award description(s) | Results |
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2016 | Nigeria Entertainment Awards | Best Album | Nominated |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
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1. | "Adura" | Tiwatope Savage | Don Jazzy | 3:25 |
2. | "African Waist" (featuring Don Jazzy) |
| Don Jazzy | 4:16 |
3. | "Standing Ovation" (featuring Olamide) |
| Don Jazzy | 3:12 |
4. | "Rewind" | Savage | Baby Fresh | 3:08 |
5. | "If I Start to Talk" (featuring Dr SID) |
| Don Jazzy | 3:54 |
6. | "Make Time" (featuring Iceberg Slim) |
| Don Jazzy | 4:14 |
7. | "Bang Bang" | Savage | Don Jazzy | 4:18 |
8. | "Love Me Hard" (featuring 2face Idibia) |
| P2J | 4:15 |
9. | "Before Nko" (featuring D'Prince) |
| Altims | 3:47 |
10. | "We Don't Give a Damn" | Savage | Don Jazzy | 3:46 |
11. | "Kolobi" | Savage | Don Jazzy | 2:35 |
12. | "Key to the City" (featuring Busy Signal) |
| Spellz | 4:02 |
13. | "Say It" | Savage | Don Jazzy | 3:25 |
14. | "My Darlin'" | Savage |
| 4:10 |
15. | "Go Down" (featuring Reekado Banks) |
| Don Jazzy | 2:55 |
16. | "Birthday" | Savage | Don Jazzy | 3:42 |
Total length: | 60:00 |
Region | Date | Format | Version | Label |
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Various | December 19, 2015 | CD, digital download | Standard |
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February 23, 2016 | Deluxe |
Sidney Onoriode Esiri, stylized as Dr SID, is a Nigerian singer.
Michael Collins Ajereh, known professionally as Don Jazzy, is a Nigerian record producer. He founded the record label Mavin Records in 2012, for which he is chief executive officer (CEO) and has signed artists including D'Prince. Prior, he co-founded Mo' Hits Records with D'banj in 2004, and was an in-house producer for Kanye West's GOOD Music from 2011 to 2015.
Mavin Records is a Nigerian corporation and record label founded by record producer and recording artist Don Jazzy on 8 May 2012. The label's inception came to fruition following the closure of Mo' Hits Records, a record label owned by the aforementioned producer and D'banj. The label is home to recording artists such as Rema, Ayra Starr, Crayon, Johnny Drille, Ladipoe, Magixx, Boy Spyce, Bayanni, and Lifesize Teddy. It also houses producers such as Jazzy himself, Altims, London, Baby Fresh, and Andre Vibez. In 2014, DJ Big N became the label's official disc jockey. Tiwa Savage, Wande Coal, Reekado Banks and Iyanya were all formerly signed to the label. On 8 May 2012, the label released its compilation album Solar Plexus. In January 2019, Mavin Records secured a multi-million dollars investment from Kupanda Holdings, a subsidiary of Kupanda Capital and TPG Growth.
Tiwatope Omolara Savage, known professionally as Tiwa Savage, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter and actress. Savage sings in English 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.
Solar Plexus is a compilation album released by Mavin Records on May 8, 2012. Produced entirely by Don Jazzy, the album comprises thirteen tracks and was made available for free digital download. It contains solo tracks recorded by D'Prince, Tiwa Savage, Wande Coal and Dr SID. The album's release coincided with the record label's launch date. Solar Plexus was supported the singles "Take Banana" and "Omo Ga". The album received generally negative reviews from music critics, who called it a rushed project and considered it be Don Jazzy's weakest produced album of his career.
Once Upon a Time is the debut studio album by Nigerian singer Tiwa Savage. It was released on July 3, 2013, by Mavin Records and 323 Entertainment. The album was made available for purchase on iTunes a day before its official release, and features guest appearances from Don Jazzy, Flavour N'abania, Leo Wonder, Iceberg Slim, Sarkodie and General Pype. Its production was handled by Don Jazzy, Warren Oak Felder, Sauce Wilson, Harmony Samuels, GospelOnDeBeatz, Del B, Raydar Ellis and Spellz. Once Upon a Time was supported by seven singles—"Kele Kele Love", "Love Me (3x)", "Without My Heart", "Ife Wa Gbona", "Folarin", "Olorun Mi" and "Eminado". It 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.
The discography of Tiwa Savage, a Nigerian singer consists of three studio albums, one compilation album, 23 singles, ten music videos, four promotional single, five guest appearances, and one cameo appearance.
The Headies is a music awards show established in 2006 by the Hip Hop World Magazine of Nigeria to recognize outstanding achievements in the Nigerian music industry. The annual ceremony features performances by established and promising artists. It is broadcast live on HipTV to viewers across Nigeria. The first and second editions of The Headies were held at the Muson Center in Onikan, Lagos State. Between 2010 and 2012, the awards were held at the Eko Hotel and Suites in Victoria Island, Lagos. Several media personalities in Nigeria have hosted the annual ceremony, including Darey Art Alade, D'banj, Dakore Egbuson, Banky W., Rita Dominic, M.I, Tiwa Savage and Dr SID.
David Adedeji AdelekeOON, known professionally as Davido, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most important Afrobeats artists of the 21st century, and for popularizing the genre globally.
"Surulere" is a song by Nigerian singer Dr SID. It was released on November 13, 2013, as the lead single from his second studio album, Siduction (2013). Don Jazzy produced the song and was featured on it. "Surulere" peaked at number one on MTV Base's Official Naija Top 10 chart for the week of March 21 through March 27, 2014. It also peaked at number two on the Pulse Nigeria Music Video chart. "Surulere" won Best Collabo of the Year at the 2014 City People Entertainment Awards and was nominated for Song of the Year at both The Headies 2014 and MTV Africa Music Awards 2014.
The 2014 Nigeria Entertainment Awards took place on 31 August 2014, at the Skirball Center for the Performing Arts in New York City. The eligibility period was from March 2013 to March 2014. In April 2014, the NEA reviewing committee began collecting submissions for the 2014 edition. The deadline for submission was April 30, 2014, and the nominations were announced on May 29, 2014. Tiwa Savage and Davido received the most nominations with 5 each. Don Jazzy, Flavour N'abania and Wizkid all got four nominations each, while Olamide, Patoranking, Chidinma and Oritse Femi followed closely with three nominations.
"Dorobucci" is a song recorded by The Mavins, a collective composed of Don Jazzy, Tiwa Savage, Dr SID, Reekado Banks, Korede Bello, Di'Ja and D'Prince. Released on May 1, 2014, the song received generally positive reviews from music critics. Positive remarks went towards its production, instrumentation and composition. On the contrary, the music video received mixed reviews. While some critics described the video as brilliant, others said it was dull and not up to par.
Kemi Adetiba is a Nigerian filmmaker, television director and music video director, whose works have appeared on Channel O, MTV Base, Sound City TV, BET and Netflix.
Ayoleyi Hanniel Solomon, who is better known by his stage name Reekado Banks, is a Nigerian singer and songwriter. He was signed to Mavin Records between 2014 and 2018, and went by the stage name Spicy before his record deal with the label. Banks won Rookie of the Year at The Headies 2014, and received the controversial Next Rated award at The Headies 2015. His debut studio album Spotlight, which was released on 1 September 2016, debuted at number 10 on the Billboard World Albums chart.
Oluseye Desmond Sodamola, professionally known as Spinall, is a Nigerian disc jockey, record producer, and songwriter. He has released six studio albums and collaborated with artists that have included Wizkid, Tiwa Savage, Asake, Joeboy among others. He has won numerous awards for his work, including All Africa Music Awards and The Beatz Awards. He is also the first Nigerian disc jockey to play at festivals such as Coachella, SXSW, and Glastonbury.
Charles Enebeli, better known by his stage name D'Prince, is a Nigerian Afropop singer, record executive, and entrepreneur. He founded the entertainment company and record label Jonzing World in 2019, through which he has signed singer Rema.
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