Tiwa Savage to receive honorary degree

The musician is one of 10 “inspirational individuals” who have been named as honorary graduands ahead of the university’s congregation ceremonies at the Canterbury and Rochester cathedrals in July.

Tiwa Savage, who completed a degree in business administration at the University of Kent before winning a scholarship to study music at Berklee College of Music in Boston, US, will be made a doctor of music at Canterbury Cathedral “in recognition of her inspirational and international career in music,” according to the university’s website. 

She joins a growing list of Nigerian entertainers who have been awarded honorary doctorates over the years. They include P-Square member Mr P and J Martins, who were conferred with academic honours from Escae-Benin University and Estam University, respectively. In 2016, 2Baba received an honorary master’s degree in music from Igbinedion University in Nigeria.

The news of Tiwa Savage’s latest accomplishment follows an announcement in June that she would be a brand ambassador for Chinese smartphone company Tecno Mobile.

A multiple award-winning singer and songwriter, Tiwa Savage is best known for the global hits ‘49–99’ and ‘Somebody’s Son’. She is behind five studio collections and is one of Nigeria’s most popular female musicians, securing collaborations with the likes of Beyoncé and Coldplay.

She has also been named among the world’s top 100 inspirational women in fashion by Vogue magazine and graced the cover of Billboard magazine’s first issue devoted entirely to Africa.

She is currently touring North America with her Water & Garri EP. The tour comprises 17 shows in cities like New York, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Vancouver, Montreal and Toronto, among others.