“It’s Like a Full Circle Moment” – Tiwa Savage on Her Acting Debut in 'Water and Garri'

The film, which will premiere on Prime Video from May 10, stars Jemima Osunde and Mike Afolarin, and its soundtrack features Asa and The Cavemen, among others.

Although this is her film debut, Savage says acting is what she fell in love with even before music. “I was in drama class in high school and I used to kill all my improv. Then I had a guy I had a crush on and he would hang around all the musicians. So I was like, ‘Acting sucks,’ and I shifted my focus to music.” So, “It’s like a full circle moment,” she says.

Initially, the film that became Water and Garri was supposed to be a visual project, “Like Black is King,” says Savage. “But then I saw the script and I was like, ‘Wow, we should do a short film.’ From there, we started filming and it became a feature film.”

Savage’s debut movie grew and developed a life of its own over time, and sharing the same name as her 2021 EP is all it has in common with the EP. “I didn’t really think any of the songs [on the EP] matched any of the scenes in the film, so I scrapped everything and I did a whole new soundtrack — still called Water and Garri. Now I have Water and Garri the EP, and Water and Garri the soundtrack, which is dedicated specifically to the film.”

The film soundtrack contains about 11 songs in total. “I did it in a week,” says Savage. “Everyone thought I was crazy. I just didn’t want to force certain scenes in the film with the EP songs.” And she’s pleased that she didn’t, because she got to do new and exciting things with this soundtrack. “There are songs in the soundtrack that I’d maybe naturally not do, songs my fan wouldn’t expect. I have a folk song with Asa, another with The Cavemen and Richard Bono with jazz influences,” she says. “Everyone’s used to me doing Afrobeats. This was my opportunity to introduce people to different sounds from me. It was an amazing process.”

While the “Men are Crazy” crooner has had cameo roles in the past, this is obviously her most significant film project yet. “One of my biggest challenges was often times feeling like I was carrying everything,” she says. “It feels like all the characters are revolving around you. I was quite nervous being the ‘non-actor’ and having the lead role. But everyone made me feel so comfortable. Even when we were not on set, they would call me ‘Aisha’ to help keep me in character. Everybody was really supportive.”

Water and Garri is directed by Meji Alabi, Savage’s frequent music video collaborator, who is also working as a first time movie director.

Watch OkayAfrica’s interview with Savage below: