Temilade Openiyi (born 11 June 1995), known professionally as Tems, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter, and record producer.[2][3] She rose to prominence after being featured on
Wizkid's 2020 single "
Essence", which peaked at number 9 on the
Billboard Hot 100 chart following the release of the remix version with
Justin Bieber. The song earned her a
Grammy Award nomination.[4][3] That same year, she was featured on the song "
Fountains" by Canadian rapper
Drake.[5]
Temilade Openiyi was born on 11 June 1995, in
Lagos, Nigeria, and when she was an infant, her family relocated to the UK; however, when she was five years old, her family returned to Nigeria following her parents' separation.[23][24] Tems resided in Ilupeju before moving to
Lekki and later
Ajah.[25] Tems attended
Dowen College for her secondary education and
Monash South Africa for her tertiary education.[24][26][27] At school, she was noticed by her music teacher and learned to play the piano. She practised singing with her brother and often used his guitar accompaniment.[28][29]
Career
2018–2021: Career beginnings and extended plays
In 2018, Tems quit her job to pursue a career in music. She began to learn self production skills on
YouTube[26] and on 18 July 2018, she released her debut single, "Mr Rebel", a song which she produced by herself.[28] On 7 August 2019, she released the single "Try Me".[23] In 2020, DJ Edu chose her as one of "ten artists to watch" that year.[30] On 23 April 2020, Tems was featured alongside fellow Nigerian singer
Davido on a reworked version of American singer-songwriter
Khalid and English
electronic music duo
Disclosure's single, "
Know Your Worth".[31][32]
On 13 August 2021, a reworked version of "Essence", which contains an additional feature from Canadian singer
Justin Bieber, was released, which propelled the song to reach number nine on the
Billboard Hot 100. On 3 September 2021, Tems was featured on Canadian rapper and singer
Drake's song, "
Fountains", from the latter's sixth studio album, Certified Lover Boy, which debuted at number 26 on the Hot 100.[40][41] On 15 September 2021, Tems released her second extended play, If Orange Was a Place, after being signed to RCA records.[42] It was primarily produced by
GuiltyBeatz, and the single "Crazy Tings" was released five days before and peaked at number three on the
UK Afrobeats Singles Chart.[43][44] Later, Tems reached number one on the BillboardNext Big Sound chart[45] and the BillboardEmerging Artists chart.[46]
2022–present: Breakthrough
On 31 March 2022,
Apple Music 1 Launched Leading Vibe Radio Show With Tems.[47] On 2 April, its first episode features an appearance from Muyiwa Awoniyi, and
Tunji Balogun.[48] On 29 April 2022, Tems was featured alongside Drake on American rapper
Future's single, "
Wait for U", from the latter's ninth studio album, I Never Liked You. The song debuted atop the Hot 100, making Tems the first African female artist to top the chart and more so debut atop the chart.[49] The song samples the song "
Higher" from For Broken Ears.[50]
Tems won the Female MVP award at the Soundcity MVP Awards, which were held at the Eko Convention Centre in Lagos in February 2023.[61] In May 2023, Tems was invited to fashion's biggest night out, the
Met Gala.
On 5 December 2023, Tems announced that her second single of the year "
Not an Angel" would be released on 8 December.[67]
In March 2024, Tems became the first African singer to be awarded a
Billboard Women in Music Award in which she received under the Breakthrough category.[21][68] Tems debut studio album
Born in the Wild is scheduled for release in May.[16]
Artistry
Tems' mother only allowed her to listen to
Christian music when Tems was a child. Later in her teenage years, she became interested in
R&B and
hip hop music. She listened to
Destiny's Child,
Beyoncé,
Lil Wayne, and
Aaliyah, and covered
Alicia Keys' 2004 single, "
If I Ain't Got You", in a live performance. Growing up, she was also interested in artists such as
Burna Boy,
Lauryn Hill,
Adele,
Rihanna,
Coldplay,
Paramore, and
Asa.[25] At the age of 15, she stopped listening to other artists in search of her own identity, because "I wanted to learn how to attack a song from what I was feeling, not what Beyoncé would do or anyone else".[69] Her voice has been described as deep, velvety, and androgynous.[69][25]
Legal issues
On 14 December 2020, Tems was arrested alongside fellow Nigerian singer
Omah Lay after they performed in a show in
Uganda. The Ugandan police authority identified violation of COVID-19 lockdown protocols as the reason for their arrests, but the two artists felt they were set up.[70][71] Two days later, the Ugandan government released them, and apologised for the arrests and dropped the charges against the two artists.[72]