Temilade Openiyi (born 11 June 1995), known professionally as Tems, is a Nigerian singer.[1] She rose to prominence after she was featured on Wizkid's 2020 single "Essence," which reached the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100 after the release of a remixed version with an additional feature from Justin Bieber, and earned her a Grammy Award nomination.[2] That same year, she was featured on Drake's song, "Fountains."
Tems
Tems on NdaniTV Sessions -cropped.png
Tems on NdaniTV Sessions in 2019
Background information
Birth name:Temilade Openiyi
Also known as:Tems Baby
Born:11 June 1995 (age 27)
Lagos, Nigeria
Genres&:RBAfrobeatsAlté
Alternative R&B
Occupation:singersongwriterrecord producer
Years active:2018–present
Labels:RCA RecordsLeading Vibes
On 25 September 2020, she released her debut extended play, For Broken Ears. Tems released her second extended play, If Orange Was a Place (2021), after being signed to RCA Records.[3] In 2022, Tems' vocals from her song "Higher" were sampled by Future on his single, "Wait for U", which led to her being credited as a featured artist alongside Drake on the song. It debuted atop the Billboard Hot 100, making her the first African artist to debut at number one and the second Nigerian artist to top the chart.[4] The song earned her the Grammy Award for Best Melodic Rap Performance.[5]
Tems covered Bob Marley's "No Woman, No Cry" for the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack, released in July 2022[6] and in the same month, her song "Free Mind" from her debut EP debuted on the Hot 100.
Throughout her career, Tems has received many accolades, including a Grammy Award, two NAACP Image Awards, two BET Awards and two Soul Train Music Awards.[7][8][9] She also co-wrote the song "Lift Me Up" by Rihanna, which earned her nominations for the Academy Award for Best Original Song,[10] and the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song.[11]
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[15] and on 18 July 2018, she released her debut single, "Mr Rebel", a song which she produced by herself.[17] On 7 August 2019, she released the single "Try Me".[12] In 2020, DJ Edu chose her as one of "ten artists to watch" that year.[18] 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".[19]
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.[27][28] On 15 September 2021, Tems released her second extended play, If Orange Was a Place, after being signed to RCA records.[29] 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.[30][31] Later, Tems reached number one on the Billboard Next Big Sound chart[32] and the Billboard Emerging Artists chart.[33]
2022–present: Breakthrough
On 31 March 2022, Apple Music 1 Launched Leading Vibe Radio Show With Tems.[34] On 2 April, its first episode features an appearance from Muyiwa Awoniyi, and Tunji Balogun.[35] 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.[36] The song samples the song "Higher" from For Broken Ears.[37]
In July 2022, Tems covered Bob Marley's No Woman, No Cry for the upcoming Marvel movie Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack.[6] On 26 July, Tems gained her fourth Hot 100 with her song "Free Mind" from For Broken Ears debuted on the chart.[38] In July 2022, Tems was announced as a guest artist on Beyoncé's album Renaissance,[39] collaborating on the song "Move" with Grace Jones, becoming her fifth entry on the Hot 100.[40] In October 2022, she co-wrote Rihanna's song "Lift Me Up" for the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack.[41]
Tems, Ludwig Göransson, Rihanna and Ryan Coogler were nominated at the 2023 Golden Globe Awards for “Best Original Song — Motion Picture” for “Lift Me Up” from the film Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.[42][43]
In 2023, Tems, Future, and Drake won the Grammy Award for Best Melodic Rap Performance for “Wait for U.” This meant Tems was the first female Nigerian artiste to win a Grammy Award.