Temilade Openiyi, professionally known as Tems, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter, and record producer.
She gained widespread recognition in 2020 when she was featured on Wizkid’s single “Essence.” The song’s remix, which included Justin Bieber, propelled it to number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Early life and Education
Temilade Openiyi, known as Tems, was born on June 11, 1995, in Lagos, Nigeria.
She completed her secondary education at Dowen College and pursued higher education at Monash South Africa. During her school years, her music teacher noticed her talent, and she learned to play the piano. She also practiced singing with her brother, often accompanied by his guitar.
Career
In 2018, Tems left her job to pursue a music career, learning production skills from YouTube. On July 18, 2018, she released her self-produced debut single, “Mr Rebel”. She followed this with the single “Try Me” on August 7, 2019. In 2020, DJ Edu named her one of the “ten artists to watch” that year. On April 23, 2020, she featured alongside Davido on a remix of Khalid and Disclosure’s single “Know Your Worth”.
On September 25, 2020, Tems released her debut EP, “For Broken Ears,” which she mostly produced herself. The EP’s single “Damages” became a hit, reaching number one on Nigerian Apple Music and number six on the TurnTable Top 50 chart, and amassing five million YouTube views. On October 30, 2020, she was featured on Wizkid’s single “Essence” from his album “Made in Lagos.” The song topped the BBC 1Xtra Airplay Chart and entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number 9. Tems won a Soul Train Music Award, two NAACP Image Awards, and received a Grammy nomination for Best Global Music Performance. She was also included in The Future Awards Africa: Class of 2020.
On August 13, 2021, a remix of “Essence” featuring Justin Bieber propelled the song to number nine on the Billboard Hot 100. On September 3, 2021, she featured on Drake’s song “Fountains” from his album “Certified Lover Boy,” which debuted at number 26 on the Hot 100. On September 15, 2021, Tems released her second EP, “If Orange Was a Place,” under RCA Records, featuring the single “Crazy Tings,” which peaked at number three on the UK Afrobeats Singles Chart. She topped the Billboard Next Big Sound and Emerging Artists charts.
On March 31, 2022, Apple Music 1 launched the Leading Vibe Radio Show with Tems. On April 29, 2022, she featured alongside Drake on Future’s single “Wait for U,” which debuted at number one on the Hot 100, making her the first African female artist to top the chart. In July 2022, she covered Bob Marley’s “No Woman, No Cry” for the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack and was credited alongside Rihanna. Her song “Free Mind” from “For Broken Ears” debuted on the Hot 100, peaking at number 44 and reaching number one on the U.S. Afrobeats Song Chart. She earned platinum and silver certifications in the U.S. and UK. She was also a guest artist on Beyoncé’s album “Renaissance,” collaborating on the song “Move” with Grace Jones. In October 2022, she co-wrote Rihanna’s “Lift Me Up” for the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack, which was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song.
In 2023, Tems won a Grammy Award for Best Melodic Rap Performance for “Wait for U,” making her the first female Nigerian artist to win a Grammy. She also won the Female MVP award at the Soundcity MVP Awards in Lagos and attended the Met Gala. She was listed on the 2023 Time 100 Next list. On October 5, 2023, she released the single “Me & U,” which topped the UK Afrobeats Singles Chart and reached number 34 on the UK Singles Chart and number 10 on Billboard’s Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart. On December 5, 2023, she announced her second single of the year, “Not an Angel,” to be released on December 8.
In March 2024, Tems became the first African singer to be awarded a Billboard Women in Music Award in the Breakthrough category. Her debut studio album, “Born in the Wild,” is set for release on June 7, supported by a world tour. The lead single “Love Me JeJe” was announced and previewed at her Coachella set and released on April 25.
Legal issues
On December 14, 2020, Tems and fellow Nigerian singer Omah Lay were arrested after performing at a show in Uganda. The Ugandan police cited violations of COVID-19 lockdown protocols as the reason for their arrests, though both artists believed they were set up. Two days later, the Ugandan government released them, apologized for the arrests, and dropped the charges against them.
Personal life
As an infant, her family moved to the UK, but they returned to Nigeria when she was five years old after her parents separated. Tems lived in Ilupeju before relocating to Lekki and later Ajah.
Net Worth
Estimated to be over 2 million dollars