Picture of the day (Tiwa Savage)

At the age of 16 Tiwa Savage was destined to sing backup for George Michael. While puffing on her trombone near the back of the orchestra, Savage gazed through the rows of musicians and decided to position herself in the spotlight - singing in the front row.

An instant classic, folks about town in London started to take notice and she was soon sharing a stage with the "Faith" singer. Cementing her fate as an infectious musical force Savage went on to sing backup for Mary J. Blige, Destiny's Child, Chaka Khan, Spice Girl Emma Bunton, Kelly Clarkson, Andreas Bocelli, Sting, 50 Cent, The Black Eyed Peas, Eminem and Robbie Williams.

Currently, signed to Sony ATV as one of their premier songwriters, Savage will embark on a solo career and will release her debut in early 2011. Weaving an eclectic collision of influences on her record, the Nigerian native says her album will blend, "songs in my native language Yoruba and some straight up R&B soulful pop records."

Likening herself to an afro-pop Brandy, the singer, who also runs her own label 323 Music Entertainment with partner TJ (aka Tbillz), has collaborated with Chuck Harmony (Rihanna, Mary J. Blige), Warren "Oak" Felder (Chris Brown, Jennifer Lopez), and producer So Sick on her debut.

An avid songwriter since the age of 15, sessions with such heavyweights as Babyface, The Underdogs (Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears), Brian Kennedy (Jennifer Hudson, Kid Sister) and RedOne (Lady Gaga, Kylie Minogue) led to Savage writing hits like Jaicko's "Oh Yeah," which features Snoop Dogg, Kat Deluna's "Push Push" featuring Akon and with production by David Guetta, and Fantasia's "Collard Greens & Cornbread," from the album Back to Me.

But writing for herself has been more rewarding. "I have political songs like 'Middle Passage,' which is about the struggles of African men in a foreign country," says the Berklee College of Music scholarship recipient and graduate. "And I have a song called 'I Think My Boyfriend's Gay.' Now it's really about what I feel like writing.

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