Fireworks in Los Angeles As Nigerian Singer Tems Wins Her First Grammy
Music lovers in Africa were elated as Nigerian singer Tems bagged the most prestigious prize in music, the Grammy award.
The singer who is officially known as Temilade Openiyi won the Best Melodic Rap Performance Grammy for the song “Wait for You”.
The song was released in April last year and she was featured alongside Drake by popular American rapper Future.
Tems High Profile Collabos
Tems, 27, has made it to the apex of music by collaborating with the royalty of global music as we know it. A case in point is her major collabo with Nigerian sensation Wizkid in 2020.
The song “Essence” in which she was featured by Wizkid is credited as the work that thrust her on the global music scene. The hit song did very well including on the US music charts.
“Essence” was nominated in last year’s Grammys in the Best Global Music Performance category.
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Tems is also a gifted Songwriter which she has used to further push herself the music ladder. She was featured by the legendary Beyonce in the song “Move” alongside Grace Jones. Tems co-wrote this hit song.
To cap her highly-decorated collabo portfolio, Tems also featured in a star-studded music hit by her Nigerian compatriot Rema.
In the song “Fake Love” Rema featured Tems together with pop and rhythm-and-blues (R&B) heavy-weight Rihanna, as well as Ayra Starr.
Tems before the Grammys
Tems was born in Lagos and spent her childhood briefly in the United Kingdom before returning to Nigeria. She went to school both in Nigeria and South Africa.
Her multicultural upbringing informs her brilliant unique approach to music. In contrast to many other musicians, Tems veered off the Nigerian trademark Afrobeats.
She explored other genres by blending pop, R&B, and other styles to curve out her global music footprint.
At the end of her schooling, Tems came out as a digital marketer, a job that she dumped in 2018 to plot her full-time music career.
With limited resources, she composed and released her first song “Mr. Rebel” in which she celebrated her mother’s heroics.
In an earlier burglary at their home, her mother lost a leg as she fended off the intruders. Tems who now goes by the Rebel Gang mantra, went on to release hit after hit as she made her way to the Grammys.
Tems songs and albums
After “Mr. Rebel” debut song, Tems released the following songs;
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- Looku Looku
- Try Me
- Know Your Worth. She was featured by American singer Khalid
- Crazy Tings
- Essence remix with Wizkid and Justin Bieber
- Free Mind
- Damages
- The Key
- These Days
- Tems version of Bob Marley’s No Woman No Cry for the movie Wakanda Forever
Tems has 2 EPs (Extended Play) namely “If Orange Was a Place” and “For Broken Ears”
The “If Orange Was a Place” EP has the following tracks in it:
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- Found
- Vibe Out
- Replay
- Avoid Things
- Crazy Tings
The “For Broken Ears” EP features the following tracks in it:
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- Free Mind
- Higher
- Damages
- The Key
- Témìládè Interlude
- Ice Tea
- Interference
Did Tems write a song for Rihanna?
Tems is an astute songwriter who has co-written with Rihanna. Their song “Lift me up” has been nominated for Academy Awards this year. Jointly with Rihanna, Tems is in contention for the Best Original Song category.
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Are Tems and Ayra Starr related?
The two songstresses have been for long rumored to be sisters. Other than having featured together in “Fake Love” by Rema and being Nigerians, the two are not related.
The multi-talented Tems also rocks the world of fashion with her clothing line featuring branded T-shirts, hoodies, and bucket hats. Tems also hosts the Leading Vibe Radio show on Apple Music.
