From Lagos to the Grammys, Nigerian singer-songwriter Tems has conquered the worldwide stage with out compromising who she is. “Authenticity is everything to me,” she says. “That’s the one thing I cannot compromise on because that’s all I have — who I really am.”
When Tems stepped on stage at New York’s MetLife Stadium for the FIFA Club World Cup halftime present in July, the world was watching. The 30-year-old admits performing for hundreds of thousands of world viewers was nerve-wracking. Still, she displays on the second with gratitude. “It was an honor to just be there,” she says.
For some, her efficiency was their first introduction to the soulful popstar who has change into certainly one of Africa’s best-known cultural exports. For many others, it was affirmation of what they already knew: Tems is rewriting the foundations of world music.
Born Temilade Openiyi in Lagos, Nigeria she began writing songs at a younger age, instructing herself to provide music when few have been prepared to offer her a shot. “It was really hard to get people to take me seriously — not just as a producer, but as a singer, period,” she remembers. “I didn’t feel safe, and I didn’t feel seen, and I didn’t feel supported for a very long time.” Those early struggles didn’t derail her: as a substitute, they grew to become her gas.
That grit powered her rise to superstardom. Tems collaborated with Wizkid on “Essence” in 2020, which grew to become the primary Nigerian tune to chart on the Billboard Hot 100. In 2022, Tems made historical past once more when vocal snippets from her tune “Higher” have been sampled in Future and Drake’s Grammy-winning “Wait for U,” which debuted at No. 1 on the identical chart — one other first for Nigerians. Her personal single “Free Mind” climbed the US charts, whereas her voice and lyrics discovered their method onto Beyoncé’s “Move” and Rihanna’s “Lift Me Up.”
In 2025, she cemented her place amongst music’s elite successful a Grammy for Best African Music Performance for “Love Me JeJe,” a reimagining of a Nigerian basic.
Despite her speedy ascent, Tems insists that fame has by no means been the objective. “I wasn’t thinking, is this working or not working? I was just like, well, I’m going to be me. If being me lands me under the bridge, cool. If it lands me on top of the mountain, cool.”
That fearless authenticity has change into her trademark.
And now, she’s channeling that conviction into one thing greater than herself. In August, Tems launched the Leading Vibe Initiative, a mentorship and coaching platform designed to assist women in music. The initiative hopes to reshape an trade that usually sidelines feminine expertise. “There are so many talented women that can be producers, managers, audio engineers — but they’re not even visible,” she says. “So, I want to make them visible and create a space where we can redefine the perspective of women in music.”
With the initiative, which is open to women ages 18-35, Tems selected to start in Lagos, however her ambitions don’t cease there. “We’re definitely taking this beyond Nigeria. Actually, we’re going to Kenya next,” she says. “There are women everywhere who just need to feel seen. All they need is that platform, all they need is that chance, and I really believe it’s going to change the shape of the music industry for sure.”
The launch occasion in Lagos drew a passionate crowd of dozens of younger women — singers, producers and engineers. “It’s amazing how many people have come and supported us and even the amount of talent we have,” Tems stated on the occasion. “Honestly, I’m blown away and I can’t wait. This is a journey we’re all taking together, and I couldn’t find a better way to start.”
Her imaginative and prescient for Leading Vibe is deeply private. She remembers hustling from studio to studio, looking for allies in a male-dominated trade. Gatekeepers solely started to concentrate as soon as her music achieved what they might not. “People started taking me seriously when my music got to a place they couldn’t fathom,” she says. “They were like, how did she do that? We didn’t give this to her.”
“Fame is not what you want,” Tems displays. “You could be famous and uncomfortable, famous and unsuccessful. What you really want is to be comfortable, you want to be able to provide [for yourself] and fame is not always that.”
“So, I think it’s very important for you to define who you are, because if you don’t, other people will,” she provides
By constructing a motion for women throughout Africa and past, Tems’ most vital legacy might not be the music she creates, however the doorways she opens for others.
NCS’s Larry Madowo and Lamide Akintobi contributed to this report.