Temilade Openiyi (born June 11th, 1995), known professionally as Tems, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter, and record producer. 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. That same year, she was featured on Drake’s song, “Fountains”.

 

 

 

Birth name: Temilade Openiyi
Also known as: Tems Baby
Born: 11 June 1995 (age 27) Lagos, Nigeria
Genres: R&B Afrobeats Alté
Occupations: Singer, songwriter, record producer
Years active: 2018–present
Labels: RCA Records, Leading 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. 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 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. Tems covered Bob Marley’s “No Woman, No Cry” for the Marvel movie Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack, released in July 2022 and in the same month her song “Free Mind” from her debut EP debuted on the Hot 100. Tems became one of five notable Nigerian women who made history in the month of July, as she won a BET award.

Early life
Temilade Openiyi, was born on June 11th 1995 in Lagos, Nigeria. Born to a Nigerian mother and a British-Nigerian father, her family moved to the United Kingdom shortly after birth. Her parents divorced when she was five. Tems relocated to Nigeria with her mother and brother, they resided in Ilupeju before moving to Lekki then Ajah. Tems attended Dowen College before proceeding to study economics in Monash South Africa, South Africa for her tertiary education. 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.

 

Career
In 2018, Tems quit her job to pursue a career in music. She began to learn self production skills on YouTube and on 18 July 2018, she released her debut single, “Mr Rebel”, a song which she produced by herself. On 7 August 2019, she released the single “Try Me”. In 2020, DJ Edu chose her as one of “ten artists to watch” that year. 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”.

 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by TEMS ? (@temsbaby)

On September 25th, 2020, Tems released her debut extended play, For Broken Ears. It was produced primarily by her and the single “Damages” from the EP became another follow up hit to “Try Me”, peaking at number one on the Nigerian Apple Music chart and number six on the then-newly launched TurnTable Top 50 chart and garnering five million views on YouTube. On 30 October 2020, Tems was featured on fellow Nigerian singer Wizkid’s single, “Essence”, from the latter’s fourth studio album, Made in Lagos. The song earned her a number one spot on BBC 1Xtra Airplay Chart. and also earned her first career entry on Billboard Hot 100 at number 9. Tems won a Soul Train Music Awards, two NAACP Image Awards, and received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Global Music Performance. On 8 November 2020, Tems was included in The Future Awards Africa: Class of 2020.

On August 13th 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. On 15 September 2021, Tems released her second extended play, If Orange Was a Place,after being signed to RCA records. 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. Later, Tems reached number one on the Billboard Next Big Sound chart and the Billboard Emerging Artists chart.

On 31 March 2022, Apple Music 1 Launched Leading Vibe Radio Show With Tems. On 2 April, its first episode features appearance from Muyiwa Awoniyi, and Tunji Balogun. 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. The song samples the song “Higher” from For Broken Ears.

In July 2022, Tems covered Bob Marley’s No Woman, No Cry for the upcoming Marvel movie Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack. On 26 July, Tems gained her fourth Hot 100 with her song “Free Mind” from For Broken Ears debuted on the chart. In July 2022, Tems was announced as a guest artist on Beyoncé’s album Renaissance, collaborating on the song “Move” with Grace Jones, becoming her fifth entry on the Hot 100.[36] In October 2022, she co-wrote Rihanna’s song “Lift Me Up” for the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack.

Tems – Replay

Discography
Extended plays
For Broken Ears
Released: 25 September 2020

If Orange Was a Place
Released: 15 September 2021

Singles
“Mr Rebel”
“Looku Looku”
“Try Me”
“These Days”
“Damages”
“Crazy Tings”
“No Woman, No Cry”
(with Marvel) 2022 Wakanda Forever
“Free Mind”

Awards and Nominations
Outstanding International Song Won
Nickelodeon Kids Choice Award Favorite Global Music Star Herself Nominated
The Headies Best Vocal Performance (Female) Herself for “Essence” Nominated
Best Collaboration “Essence”
(Wizkid featuring Tems) Won
Best R&B Album If Orange Was a Place Won
Best Female Artiste Herself Won
BET Awards Best New Artist Nominated [91][92][93]
Best International Act Won
Best Collaboration “Essence”
(Wizkid featuring Tems) Won