Popular singer, Tiwa Savage, has said the demand for sex from female artistes in exchange of opportunities is one of the major challenges women face in the Nigerian music industry.

Speaking in a panel organised by Entertainment Week Africa, Savage said she has had experiences where she was told to go visit influential male executives before she could get booked for certain shows.

She also revealed that she once lost an endorsement deal for refusing to go on holiday to Dubai with the company’s co-owner.

Savage said the experience made her realise that some executives value her body more than her talent.

She said, “I had been told that if I don’t go and see ‘this chairman’ personally, I would not be put on a show. I lost an endorsement because I refused to go to Dubai with a man who is one of the owners of the company.

“That was when I realised that they don’t value my talent but my body, which I was only flaunting as part of branding. It ended up hurting me because that is all they were seeing.”