Tems

This article is about the Nigerian singer. For the singular of Tems, see Tem. For other uses, see TEMS.

Tems
Tems in 2019
Tems in 2019
Background information
Birth nameTemilade Openiyi
Born (1995-06-11) 11 June 1995 (age 29)
Lagos, Nigeria
Genres
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • record producer
Years active2018–present
Labels
Websiteleadingvibe.com

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 8 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]

In 2020, Tems released her debut extended play, For Broken Ears. Her second extended play, If Orange Was a Place (2021), was released after she signed a record deal with RCA Records.[6] 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][7] The song earned her the Grammy Award for Best Melodic Rap Performance.[8] Tems covered Bob Marley's "No Woman, No Cry" for the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack album in July 2022[9] and in the same month, her song "Free Mind" from her debut EP debuted on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 46 and breaking the female record for longest charting number one song on R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart.[10][11] She also co-wrote and rendered background vocals on the song "Lift Me Up" by Rihanna, which earned her nominations for the Academy Award for Best Original Song,[12] the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song[13] and the Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media.[14][15]

In 2024, Tems released her debut studio album Born in the Wild to critical acclaim. The album reached the top thirty in the Netherlands, Switzerland and in the United Kingdom where it peaked at number 24. She further embarked on her ongoing Born in the Wild Tour, a supporting world tour.[16][17] Tems received three nominations at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards for Best Global Music Album, "Burning" for Best R&B song and "Love Me JeJe" for Best African Music Performance.[18][19][20]

Throughout her career, Tems has received many accolades, including a Grammy Award, a Billboard Women in Music Award, four NAACP Image Awards, four BET Awards[21] and three Soul Train Music Awards.[22][23][24][21][25][26]

  1. ^ Monger, Timothy. "Tems Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More". AllMusic. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
  2. ^ "The sweet, arresting harmonies of Nigeria's Tems". The FADER. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
  3. ^ a b "Tems – Grammy Award". Grammy Award. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
  4. ^ a b Akinyode, Peace (30 August 2023). "I was okay with people not liking my music - Tems". Punch Newspapers. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  5. ^ "Tems Biography, Songs, Age, Education, and Net Worth". VK. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  6. ^ "Tems Signs to Since '93/RCA, Named Apple Music 'Up Next' Artist". Billboard. Retrieved 2 October 2021.
  7. ^ "Tems Is The First African Artist To Debut At No. 1 On The Hot 100". Uproxx. 9 May 2022. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  8. ^ "Grammys 2023: Winners List". The New York Times. 5 February 2023. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  9. ^ "Nigeria's Tems joins Marvelverse with "No woman No Cry" rendition - Businessday NG". businessday.ng. 25 July 2022. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
  10. ^ Anderson, Trevor (18 May 2023). "Tems' 'Free Mind' Breaks Female Record for Most Weeks at No. 1 on R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  11. ^ "Nigerians celebrate Tems' Grammy rap award". BBC News. 6 February 2023. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
  12. ^ Corrine, Amber (24 January 2023). "Rihanna Earns 2023 Oscar Nomination For 'Black Panther' Song 'Lift Me Up'". VIBE.com. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
  13. ^ BellaNaija.com (12 December 2022). "Tems, Rihanna, Brad Pitt, Angela Bassett & Viola Davis nominated for 2023 Globe Globe Awards". www.bellanaija.com. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  14. ^ "2024 Grammy Nominations: See The Full Nominees List | GRAMMY.com". www.grammy.com. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  15. ^ "Tems music, videos, stats, and photos". Last.fm. 21 July 2023. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  16. ^ Mamo, Heran (10 May 2024). "Tems Announces Debut Album's Release Date & World Tour". Billboard. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
  17. ^ Garcia, Thania (10 May 2024). "Tems Unveils 2024 World Tour and Debut Album Release Date: 'My Most Special Moment'". Variety. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
  18. ^ Chiemeke, Jerry (9 November 2024). "Out Of Africa: Tems, Wizkid, Yemi Alade, Other African Artistes Earn GRAMMY Nominations | The British Blacklist". Retrieved 9 November 2024.
  19. ^ Atkinson, Katie (8 November 2024). "Grammy Nominations 2025: See the Complete List". Billboard. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
  20. ^ Blistein, Jon (8 November 2024). "Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Kendrick Lamar Lead 2025 Grammy Nominees". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
  21. ^ a b Quayyim, Adedimeji (22 February 2023). "Tems, Wizkid clinch wins at the NAACP Image Awards". The Culture Custodian (Est. 2014.). Retrieved 3 July 2023.
  22. ^ Beresford, Trilby; Coates, Tyler (27 February 2022). "2022 NAACP Image Awards: 'The Harder They Fall' Takes Best Film, Jennifer Hudson Named Entertainer of the Year". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
  23. ^ Respers France, Lisa (29 November 2021). "Soul Train Awards 2021: The winners list". CNN. Retrieved 2 March 2022..
  24. ^ "Breaking: BET Soul Train Awards 2022 Winners (Full List)". Techscoops. Tolulope Olulana. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
  25. ^ Cite error: The named reference :15 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  26. ^ Jackson, Angelique (12 March 2024). "NAACP Image Award Winners List: Victoria Monét, Chris Brown and 'The Color Purple' Nab Early Wins at Virtual Ceremony". Variety. Retrieved 12 March 2024.