In celebration of Nigeria 's 52nd independence , Savage performed her rendition of " Arise , O Compatriots " for Ndani Sessions . In November 2012 , she collaborated with Waje , Praiz , Timi Dakolo and Pamela Egoh on the Ovation Red Carol theme song " Higer " . In May 2013 , Savage held an album listening party at the Wheatbaker Hotel in Ikoyi . She revealed the entire track list of the album and announced Iceberg Slim , Sarkodie and General Pype as featured acts . On 3 July 2013 , she released her long-awaited debut studio album '' Once Upon a Time '' to the Nigerian public . The album was released on iTunes a day before its official release . Savage named the album '' Once Upon a Time '' in order to portray the positive stories about her life . She said she wanted to motivate other upcoming artists by telling them that , once upon a time , she was a little girl in Isale Eko who dreamt of being a star . The album was supported by seven singles — " Kele Kele Love " , " Love Me ( 3x ) " , " Without My Heart " , " Ife Wa Gbona " , " Folarin " , " Olorun Mi " and " Eminado " . It also includes political songs like " Middle Passage " , which is about the struggles of African men in a foreign country . '' Once Upon a Time '' was nominated for Best Album of the Year at the 2014 Nigeria Entertainment Awards . It was also nominated for Best R&B / Pop Album at The Headies 2014
2014 Nigeria Entertainment Awards
2014 Nigeria Entertainment Awards
Tiwa Savage