Over the last three years, Tems went from a regular job to being one of the world’s best new music icons.
Temilade Openiyi, who goes by the stage name Tems is a Nigerian star who went global after teaming up with Wizkid for chart-topping song “Essence,” released in 2020. The sonically pleasing blend of R&B and Afro Beat took over 2020 and continues to age well in 2021.
However, the singer-songwriter has been in the music scene for quite a while now. In 2018, Tems released her solo breakout record, “Mr. Rebel.” The song earned her two nominations at The Headies, a Nigerian award show. The song currently sits at over 2.3 M views on Youtube.
Two years later, she released her project ‘For Broken Ears.’ The project held her first national hit ‘Damages’, which topped Apple Music’s Top 100: Nigeria songs chart. She was then co-signed by R&B star SZA who tweeted, “’Free Mind’ by Tems has me in a f*cking chokehold….wow.”
Tems landed a record deal at RCA Records where she released her second EP, ‘If Orange Was a Place. ‘
Since then, the highly sought-after singer has continued to rise to the top. Tem’s made an appearance on Drake’s album, Certified Lover Boy. The track titled “Fountains” debuted at no. 26 on Billboard’s Hot 100.
More recently, she was featured on Future’s latest album. The track, “WAIT FOR U” became an early fan favorite and sold 500k units. The banger made her the first Nigerian woman to have a number-one Billboard Hot 100 hit. Future explained to fans that although the song was just a sample that used her vocals, he credited her as a feature because he wanted the world to know who she was if they didn’t already.
Now is the time to listen if you haven’t already heard Tems’ body of work. Tems’ has a bright future ahead of her, and as Future stated, she has vocals that’ll instantly connect to your soul.
