Afrobeats star Tiwa Savage has pushed back against claims that African music is losing momentum, insisting instead that the industry is undergoing a necessary adjustment phase.
She made the remarks while speaking as a keynote speaker at the Oxford Africa Conference, where she addressed concerns about the current pace of growth in the African music space.
According to her, the recent slowdown in explosive expansion should not be interpreted as decline. Rather, she described it as a “healthy cycle” that allows stakeholders to shift focus toward building stronger systems and infrastructure to support long-term sustainability.
Savage noted that similar phases have occurred in other major music genres, including hip-hop, R&B, and pop, where periods of rapid growth were followed by structural corrections.
She stressed that while challenges remain, they should not be mistaken for collapse, adding that the industry is now in a phase that requires consolidation and intentional development.
In her words:
“I had the absolute pleasure of being a keynote speaker at the Oxford Africa Conference. It was important to highlight that while some may think African music is suffering a decline…”
She continued by explaining that reduced “noise” from rapid expansion presents an opportunity to fix gaps within the system and build structures that can sustain the industry’s global rise.
Savage concluded that African music is not breaking down but evolving, urging industry players to view current changes as part of a broader cycle of growth and refinement.
