A Prayer: Tiwa Savage and "Adura"

Today's random tune comes from Nigeria from Tiwatope Savage, who performs under the name Tiwa Savage. Born in Nigeria, Tiwa Savage's family moved to London when she was eleven years old. She was a trombone player in her school's band and performed as a backup vocalist to George Michael when she was 16, but she graduated with a degree in business administration and worked at the Royal Bank of Scotland after university. During this time she was also lending vocals to other famous performers, like Mary K. Blige, Chaka Khan, Kelly Clarkson and Andrea Bocelli, and she performed onstage with Sting, 50 Cent, The Black Eyed Peas and others. She eventually enrolled in the Berklee College of Music, graduating at 27. She moved back to Nigeria with hopes of starting her musical career there, but her initial experiences were rocky and she was discouraged by some and ridiculed by others who told her she would never make it. However, she persisted, appearing on the UK X Factor, singing background on Whitney Houston's album I Look to You, and co-hosting Nigerian Idol. She was signed to a contract by Sony Music and has had great success in Nigeria and around the world. She also has been an active participant in social initiatives across Nigeria, including breast cancer screening, youth empowerment, and school building. You can find this song, Adura, on her 2016 album R.E.D. The song is a prayer to "the Heavenly King" who alone, not politicians, not traditional religious figures, can save those who are suffering and hungry.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiwa_Savage