Tiwa Savage: I was so broke I lived in a shelter in New York

Singer Tiwa Savage has reflected on the time she was so broke and had to live in a shelter in Bedford–Stuyvesant, New York. The ace singer made this statement at a surprise party organised by her friends for her album launch, Celia.

Based on a video posted on singer, Lami Phillips Instagram account, the sonorous singer, Tiwa Savage described Bedford–Stuyvesant popularly referred to as Bed-Stuy, as a project in New York known to shelter the poor mostly with drug addiction problems.

The singer said she had just graduated from school at the time but couldn’t work due to her citizenship status.

“I think I was 22 and we were in New York. I was living in Bed-Stuy, kind of like a shelter. A lot of people didn’t know this.

“I was in a shelter for women that had drug abuse problems.

“I just graduated from school. You know as an international student you can’t work. So, I couldn’t work. I was doing the side thing in Bed-Stuy which is like the hood in Brooklyn,” Tiwa Savage said.

The singer went on to reveal how she met with Elizabeth Elohor, a former beauty queen, who took her out to eat in New York when she was hungry.

She noted that since she was broke at the time she had to order only appetizers.

“She was ordering food and I ordered appetizers because I was so broke and I was so hungry.

“And I remember she was looking at me and asked, ‘what are you ordering?.’ And I was just lying that I’m not hungry.

“And then she just started asking me, ‘are you sure?.’ And then I just started crying. And then she’s just like, ‘what is the matter?.’ I said, ‘Elohor, I don’t have money.’

“She just started ordering stuff and she even ordered stuff for me to take home.

“I remember going home to my little box or whatever, and I was just crying. This girl literally made my day.

“So, the first time they put my picture in Times Square, she was the first person I called,” she said emotionally.

She went on to advice everyone in the gathering not to allow time to rob them of their destiny. (Saturday PUNCH)