Many celebrities have several achievements, but not so many have firsts at different things matched to their name. For Dr Tiwa Savage, it’s been a couple of firsts, including the first to shut down the O2 Arena, and now the first woman of African descent to join the MAC Maker family. Editor of TheWill DOWNTOWN, Onah Nwachukwu caught up with the artist.
This certainly is no small feat for anyone. It is a huge deal even for Dr Savage, who is no stranger to endorsements, considering she has many of them. It is a known fact that African women spend a lot of money on beauty products, yet true as it may be, it’s the first time the continent is getting the sort of recognition it deserves from a brand as huge as this. And it couldn’t have come at a more relevant time than this, where the African woman today knows exactly what she wants. So it is no surprise that they chose Dr Savage, who is quite confident and comfortable with the woman she has become. Speaking on this, she said,
“Africans consume so much in make-up, and I don’t think we have been recognised enough for how much we spend on make-up, so for me, this is long overdue for MAC to recognise and hear our voice and for them to use an African MAC maker.”
While it is indeed long overdue, for Tiwa Savage, when she got the call, it didn’t dawn on her how big a deal it was until she realised the brand had never had a Maker from Africa. “When I got the call from Vanessa, I didn’t really think too much into it; I thought it was just another endorsement, and I thought to myself, ‘That’s great.’ Then when we started and it was beyond”…her voice trails, then she continues,“When I realised we had never had a MAC Maker from Africa, a continent that has all shades? Like from the darkest to the lightest skin. From the thinnest lips to the fullest lips. From the highest cheekbones, you know, we represent everything when it comes to make-up, so for me, I thought, ‘this is not just iconic; this is important for us in Africa.’
” And as for how she feels about setting the trend for other African women, “I feel honoured and humble, but I feel like it’s been long overdue, as I said. I feel happy; I feel very excited about the possibilities of what MAC could eventually do with more and more women.”
