Grief often carries a different weight than joy, and Tiwa Savage makes that clear in her fourth album, ‘This One is Personal’.

Unlike the playful energy of earlier hits like All Over, this project is heavier, coloured by heartbreak and the fragments of failed relationships.

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In a recent interview with Zeze Millz, she admitted that her relationship life has been complicated and confessed that her son remains the only true love she has ever experienced. That statement finds strong expression in the album itself.

Ahead of the release, she also told fans on X that the album is her story. True to her words, fingerprints of her love life are embedded in the 15-track body of work.

After a five-year break, the 45-year-old singer returned on 28 August with her fourth studio album, ‘This One is Personal’.

Love lamentation

The opener, ‘I Am Done’, is exactly as the title suggests, deeply personal. It feels like a continuation of her candid interview with Zeze Millz, where she lamented her troubled love stories, admitting that maybe love was never meant for her. Only this time, it wasn’t an interview; it was a soliloquy into the microphone, with her fans perhaps doubling as the exes who still care.

She poured out her pain about broken relationships and the discomfort of a love life filled with disappointment. The lyrics were both heartbreaking and realistic, given her past.

She sang: “Anytime I feel like I found the one/he always let me down/ With a broken heart when I try to move on, it’s always the same pain/I lost hope I feel like giving up/Maybe I am not meant for love/I don’t wanna love again, I am finished/I am done.”

As expected, Tiwa Savage sounded terrified of loving again, yet vulnerable enough to admit how much she still misses her runaway lover. In ‘Scared to Love’, she confesses to struggling with moving on and needing prayers to find strength.

She said, “It’s been way too long since I felt you. I’ve been losing sleep, can you pull through/Can’t wait to see you again/Really been missing my man, aaaaahh/There are so many things I wanna tell you. You got your doubts, I’ve got mine too/Now it’s all out, what we gon’ do/What we gon do Ah ah, pray for me Pray for me and you.”

The interlude, ‘This One is Personal’, carries the same heartbreak-heavy theme. Here, she admitted she is “not really good at breakups,” but still had to go through one. She sang: “I’m taking off with no hesitation/We got what we need/We go back to strangers/But I don’t want us to/I ain’t really good at breakups.”

The narrative deepens in ‘Will I Run Again’, where Tiwa Savage questions whether she has been foolish in love or whether she would keep running away from relationships even after learning lessons.

She sang: “Truly, sometimes I’m good, but I need to be selfish. Never learn if I run away/If I learn, will I learn if I run away If I run, never learn, never run away/These nights I’m lost in your eyes I can’t keep on.”

The pain feels more convincing as her tender vocals blend with sober production. She lamented being exploited by ex-lovers who took advantage of her vulnerability, offering nothing in return but heartbreak.

The singer said: “You’re just like my ex-love/And probably like the next one/I never gave you all anything but love/You’re just the worst/They all want peace till they get me/To fill them up until I’m empty/Then I’m thrown away, thrown away/Leaving me alone to unpack.”

Perfect love

Despite the heaviness, the award-winning singer allowed a shadow of excitement in tracks like ‘You4me‘. Here, she celebrates compatibility with a partner, likely a fun companion, highlighting champagne as a symbol of their shared pleasure.

She teased fans with this pre-album release, singing: “See my recoil, just like magic/Drive me loco, automatic/So electric (electric), roboto (roboto)/Oh, you give me/Such an essence, I can’t hack it/So spiritual, fresh out the packet, oh-oh.”

The celebratory vibe flows into ‘On The Low’, with Skepta complementing the exotic energy. “Yeah, I’m off tour, we should celebrate/Dedicate some time for you, baby, it’s a date,” she sings.

Here, she seemed captivated by an imperfect boyfriend whose unpredictability drives her wild. Despite the flaws, she hoped the relationship held meaning. She sang: “Yeah, might be in too deep/Can’t save myself, gonna lose it/Feel like me rendering a service and you give me a tip/Mind going crazy chasing lucid dreams/We turn nothing into something and say that it’s nothing/Stop all the fronting when we both know we’re talking.”

In ‘Addicted’, Tiwa Savage bared her heart, confessing her unhealthy yearning for a lover she cannot let go of. Her airy vocals elevate the feeling of being hooked on love’s intensity.

But the optimism doesn’t last. On ‘Holding It Down’, she lamented the chaos of a toxic partner who keeps her love life in turmoil.

Love feels almost perfect again on ’For One Night’, but hesitation lingers. She admitted the energy feels right, but she still questioned if it’s temporary or forever. She sought reassurance in the form of a proposal. She sang: “But till you get down on one knee/Then maybe then I’ll see/If we’re meant to be, oh, my love.”

Tiwa Savage and James Fauntleroy delivered a heartfelt duet on ’Change’, exploring love’s demand for transformation. The pair acknowledged that true love often requires sacrifice and compromise.

They sang: “To let me reset and play through again/And I know l’m supposed to do it for me, but this is for you/This is proof, this is the proof This is true, this is for you/This is the last thing I need you to do Let me change into someone new/Let me change/Doesn’t matter who if they fall in love with you/I wanna be the one in love with you/I wanna be the mirror with you Just tell me what to change into/’Cause I wanna be the one in love with you.”

Bedroom mood

The mood shifted with ‘10%’, a mid-tempo track that leans heavily into sexual desire. It is an unapologetic bedroom anthem, charged with lust and carefree passion.

She sang: “Phone on ten per cent/That’s when he sent the text/Left my session for sex, got no regrets/Put the phone on DND/He wanna match this energy/All the neighbours they know when I come.”

She extended the sultry vibe in ‘Twisted’, where she boldly instructed her partner on how she wanted her pleasure. She sang: “Split me open and divide like a fraction/Save a piece of me till after And tell me I’m the bedroom champion/Trophy when you give me action.”

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Herself

In ’Angel Dust’, Tiwa Savage pivoted from grief to confidence, boasting of her strength and magic-like resilience. Her vocals amplified her declaration of being “dangerous” and “scandalous.”

She resurfaced the same energy in ‘Pray No More’, where she insisted on moving forward despite life’s hurdles. She sang: “Let’s make the most of the day/There’s no need to wonder/You are made for what I need You just don’t fall for nothing Good looks for waiting on me/Pray no more, you got me.”

However, Tiwa Savage’s ‘This One is Personal’ is exactly what its title says; a deeply intimate album. Across heartbreak ballads, romantic optimism, playful love confessions, and bold, affectionate expression, she opened up her diary through music. The album is raw, vulnerable, and layered with emotional honesty. This marked a defining moment in her career after five years away.

Rating: ★★★★☆☆☆☆☆ (7/10)

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