On Thursday, April 28, 2016, history was re-written as far as social media dramas are concerned and relationships were rubbished with perpetual stains and messy revelations. Tee Billz got on Instagram and ranted for a few hours on what became a major issue all day long on April 28. It is still a major issue. In fact, it will remain a gripping story till the year winds down and possibly the next year and then the next few years, you know why? Because it is Tiwa Savage and because there’s Innocent ‘2baba’ Idibia in the mix as well as the ‘music daemon’ Don Jazzy. Sources say Tee Billz sought to ‘end’ everything as he was apparently under way too much mental stress hence his action, but in a new interview with Azuka Ogujiuba of ThisDay on April 29, Tiwa opened up on how he’s battled dwindling finances, womanizing and addiction problems so it’s clear what the actual problems were. READ ALSO: 7 lessons from ensuing drama between Tee Billz and Tiwa Savage How it all began for Tee Billz and Tiwa Savage In 2009, Tiwa was an aspiring singer and songwriter who lacked the experience, exposure and magic touch with which to break into mainstream American market so when an opportunity presented itself in form of Tee Billz, she jumped on it. She met Tunji ‘Tee Billz’ Balogun somehow and it didn’t spark off something sweet at first but things picked up between them before long. In an interview with PulseNG in February 2016, she stated that upon first meeting Tee Billz, she thought of him as being too opinionated and seeing himself as “too hot”. But all of that coldness soon defrosted into a thrilling experience between the two so that by 2010 they were on a plane to Nigeria to test the waters and ply her trade musically So, 2010 and the song Kele Kele Love produced by Harmony Samuels introduced Tiwa Savage (a starry-eyed, budding entertainer) to the Nigerian audience and everything else took shape from there. She was first signed to Flytime Entertainment under Cecil Hammond but left in 2011 and moved on to Mavin Records in 2012 while her management was handled by 323, a company she founded with her manager-turned-husband Tunji Balogun, and the push continued for her. It was a pretty rough process, bringing a female from the US to Nigeria to make magic, as it seemed impossible on many levels. But despite the odds and criticisms, she managed to take things to a whole new level – breaking grounds, carving a name for herself and going as far as dominating a sizable portion of the market. Notable stuff. By 2013 into 2014, Tiwa was unarguably the hottest female export from the (West) African music sector. Nobody was coming close or could come close how much more scratching her records. Her album Once Upon A Time had dropped in July, 2013 (with Tee Billz as one of its executive producers) and it was generating more fire than gasoline and matches put together. She had arrived. And so riding on the acclaim of the singles Without My Heart, Wanted, Kele Kele Love and the monster hit Eminado, Tiwa was simply flaming hot. She had become a star, a huge bright star. READ ALSO: Suicide? Tiwa Savage’s hubby allegedly found on Lekki bridge Romance, stumbling blocks and other things All along her romance with Tee Billz continued to gain traction by the day, from speculations sparked by their public display of affections in mid 2012 and other things. Tiwa Savage and Tee Billz hanging out way before the crisis Tiwa Savage and Tee Billz hanging out way before the crisis There were stumbling blocks but they kept at it and by February 2013, Tee Billz proposed to Tiwa on a breezy evening in a Lagos restaurant during a private dinner with a few friends and loved ones. It was her 33rd birthday on the day and it was only fitting given their love affair and how much she was achieving with the music. In November 2013, they had a traditional wedding in Lagos which was heavily attended by industry folks and fellow entertainers and by April 2014 they flew out to Dubai and shut down celebrations with a picture-perfect, lavish wedding. It was emotion-charged and sweet on the outside, so sweet the couple was dubbed one of Nigeria’s celebrity power couples. But as they say, the grass is always greener on the other side. Insiders brought the true state of things to public notice and before long it was general knowledge that the pair was battling many troubles in their relationship, troubles that though speculated have now been corroborated by the recent Instagram meltdown of Thursday, April 28 as well as Tiwa’s revealing interview with Azuka Ogujiuba of ThisDay on April 29. The issues continued so that by October 2014, the Eminado singer dropped Tee Billz from her management team and then reportedly hired one Emeka also known as ‘Mekka Millions’. But in spite of these, they continued putting in appearances at social functions as well as in church as the ‘happy’ couple they ought to be. Should they have gotten married? In January 2015, it became known that the couple was expecting a baby together and sources say this helped create a sort of bonding in the troubled relationship. But before long there were several rumours of arguments and whatnot again and at this point it became clear that the marriage was probably rushed or their relationship forced to culminate into a marriage that was never meant to be. Tiwa Savage and American music star Pharrell Williams Tiwa Savage and American music star Pharrell Williams On several occasions, Tee Billz was accused of physically assaulting his wife Tiwa and in spite of this the singer managed to stay in the affair and keep mum whenever confronted by the press. Then several other speculations began to make the news – Tee Billz was accused of sleeping around, Tiwa confronts him about this and gets battered, then Tiwa allegedly gets into a couple of illicit affairs with several men including a prominent Lagos state politician, a billionaire industrialist and a few other A-list entertainers. But all of these was mere speculation and as there were no proofs, we deemed them nothing but fodder for gossip sites and soft sell magazines. READ ALSO: What popular broadcaster said about Tiwa Savage, Tee Billz marriage saga The baby, more issues and the final straw that broke the camel’s back They continued to drive the vehicle of their marriage regardless of the setbacks and so for every rumour there was either an interview to debunk claims, a public appearance to douse suspicions of a break up or a social media expression of ‘true love’. But as good as they made it sound and appear, those who knew the couple on a personal level alluded to major issues in the union. So from the media’s point of view, even though no one particularly wished them ill, it was clear that most of what revolved around the marriage was all cosmetic and created to sway public opinion. By July 2015, Tiwa Savage gave birth to baby Jamil and the media was awash once again with several commentaries about the couple and how much they look good together as one of the power couples in the Nigerian showbiz arena. In March 2016, there was an incident which saw Tee Billz slam a fan on social media for perceived disrespectful comments aimed at his wife, Tiwa. Everything looked pretty cool once again. But only a few weeks after, everything fell apart altogether following the abominable Instagram episode on Thursday, April 28. It has been a hectic period for the pair, an insider told NAIJ.com as the recent drama simmered into major headlines on the fateful Thursday. Our editor Henry Igwe tried to probe further but the source declined making any further comment. She however stated that “most couples in Nigeria today are faced with difficulties and they strive to manage the situation, however it becomes even greater problems if the individuals in the relationship have to also suffer public scrutiny and media criticisms.” Ill reputation, suicidal thoughts and damage control Before now, there were countless allegations of a rift in the union with Tiwa allegedly moving out of the house to squat with friends when she couldn’t take the heat anymore. But as much as we suspected the troubles in the affairs, her moving out of the house was unfounded. So everyone went about with their normal activities until Tee Billz suffered the disturbing attack recently and took to Instagram to pour his emotions out on several issues he had to deal with in the barely two-year-old marriage. The music entrepreneur had clearly been through a lot and his rants were no-holds-barred as he talked about meeting his wife with 100% insecurity, sacrificing his life for her as well as putting his money and energy into making her career a success. He didn’t stop at that as he went on to reveal she had several illicit affairs with fellow entertainers 2baba and label mates Don Jazzy and Dr. SID. The pitiably bad outbursts reached a pinnacle when Tee Billz dragged the other entertainers into the muddy path he was in on that fateful morning. In addition, the fact that he went to call out his wife’s mother as he accused her of all sorts will leave the episode indelibly written on millions of minds for years to come. Other celebrities like Banky W and Peter Okoye had to reach out to him and help save the day. He was reportedly about to commit suicide in Lekki, Lagos but for timely rescue. How tragic! READ ALSO: Insiders bring more revelations on Tiwa Savage, Tee Billz marriage issues As the uncertainties continued to swell regarding Tee Billz’s well-being, sources close to Bella Naija revealed later on Thursday, April 28 that he had been taken into safe custody and was cooling off with loved ones at the time. Clearly, it was an actual case of depression and not a PR stunt as many have been made to believe in a last minute, image management attempt by well-meaning friends and associates. This has been a sad incident and surely goes into history books as one of the most unusual of social media issues and celebrity dramas as far as the fledgling Nigerian entertainment industry is concerned. Hopefully this teaches everyone, especially the stars and public figures, that there is no use acting or making decisions in a fit of rage just as much as there’s the unending need to always see a psychologist from time to time as mental stress is real. What becomes of Tiwa Savage and Tee Billz? Clearly both parties are bruised and will need more than just close friends and family to mend fences in their relationship. We advise that they both see counselors, psychologists and then master the act of keeping their private life totally out of the preying eyes of critics and the media as there’s no winning with the world having a direct peep into the happenings in their intimate lives. The moment they understand this and realize that marriage is not a bed of roses, they will be better off as it’ll motivate them to work towards sustaining the union and living in harmony regardless of their differences at least for the sake of their son, if nothing else and then their public images and lastly the Nigerian entertainment industry at large, because at present the wrong perceptions trailing celebrity marriages in Nigeria are already too much for words. But in the new interview of Friday, April 29, the singer made it clear that although she will continue to pray for the embattled Tee Billz, her marriage with him is over and she will be more focused on raising her son Jamil and making him a better man. She also stated that she will not deny him access to see his son (Jamil) whenever he needs. By virtue of this, it’s evident say she’s driven the final nail into the coffin. Watch Tiwa Savage’s interview on the entire situation below courtesy of Azuka Ogujiuba of ThisDay and PulseNG:
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