I’m a lover girl who values privacy -Tems

BY ORJI ONYEKWERE

Temilade Openiyi, professionally known as Tems, is Nigerian, and internationally acclaimed afrobeat singer making waves in the global music circle. She came into national and international attention following her collaboration with notable music star Wizkid, on the song ‘Essense’ and ‘Wait for You’, which won her the Grammy Awards in 2023.

This dream started manifesting shortly after she left her regular corporate job in digital marketing. Tems said, choosing music over the safety of a corporate job environment was a bold move, and this choice has brought her this far to where she is today.

The afrobeat songstress started writing her own songs at a young age. She began experimenting with lyrics as early as 9- 10 years. But it was at the age of 17 that she wrote her first full song.

In an interview with ELLE, she disclosed that her first official song was about a Sunday morning, which was inspired by the sounds of the early 2010’s music. This happens to mark a turning point in her quest to make something out of music and this period also helped her to realise her potential as a music writer

Tems started her music career professionally in 2018, with the release of her single ‘Mr Rebel with another follow up single in 2019, that had a combination of alternative R&B and Afro-pop, before she transitioned to afro beat. In 2020, she released her debut Extended Play, for ‘Broken Ears.  Tems wrote and produced almost every track in the EP, except for the song ‘Damages’. She continued her zeal for music with the production of her second EP, ‘If Orange Was a Place’, and her debut album, Born in the Wild.

Her rise into international prominence came after her collaboration with Wizkid for the smash hit song, ‘Essence’ from the Made in Lagos album. Her ability to control her sound gives her an edge in the industry, proving that she is not just a performer but a complete artist

Incidentally Tems, learnt her music production on her own via the YouTube. Not being able to get the right person to MasterCraft her kind of music, pushed her to teach herself music production. With the help of YouTube tutorials, she was able to master the basics in music production, engineering, and sound design. This bold initiative helped in creating her unique style of music.

So, who inspired her into music? Tems explained that while growing up, she was attracted to Canadian singer Celine Dion’s music noting that Dion’s songs are very emotional, jump-off-a-cliff type songs. “They entered my soul. I think that’s where my love for music started, she said, in an article by Africa magazine.

Talking about the motivation behind her first album, Tems explained that the album is a definition of who she is. She noted that when she decided to go into music, she had to think of the best way to tell the story of her personality as Tems, who was born in a wilderness.

” Yes, I was born in Africa, but the wilderness is more about the difficulties that I faced mentally and the jump from working a 9 to 5 to trying to singing when nobody believes in you and everybody laughs at you.

Born in the Wild talks about her survival instinct coming from that background to someone who can now dominate. Born in the Wild she added, is like you are documenting your journey in real life.

“I’m someone who doesn’t like attention. Like, I could be in my room making my music for months, and I would not even fathom sharing my music. I’m such an introvert like that. I love my alone time. I do everything I can to make sure I can just go back into my cave”.

The Grammy Award winner is from a mix parentage. Born to a Nigerian mother and a British-Nigerian father. She spent her early years in Britain before moving back to Nigeria at the age of five, after her parents’ separation. Tems has a degree in Economics and attended IIE MSA (formerly Monash South Africa) in Johannesburg, South Africa. Her education did not change her passion for music though her mixed parentage has been a major influence in the way she produces her sound

So far, this creative singer has received several awards. The most significant is the Grammy Awards she received in 2023 for the song Wait for U,” with Wizkid, becoming the first Nigerian female artist to achieve this milestone.  She also won the second Grammy award for Best African Music Performance. Tems picked up the award for her sunny hit song, “Love Me Jeje,” which sampled the 1997 single of the same title by Nigerian pop forebearer Seyi Sodimu.

Other awards include: Billboard Women in Music Award, four NAACP Image Awards, four BET Awards and three Soul Train Music Awards.  Additionally, she received the Female MVP award at the Soundcity MVP Awards and became the first female Afribeats star to attend the Met Gala

As of 2025 Tems sold over 25 milion certified units worldwide, including 12 million certified by RIAA

Tems has always maintained a certain level of privacy about her love life and relationships. Her focus has mainly been on growing her music career. Though she has always described herself as being a ‘lover girl’.

Recently she opened up about her relationship with British boyfriend, Dave whom she spoke warmly about. She once described Dave as someone who brings her comfort and stability. She also revealed that they have always been in constant touch and he is someone that’s always been supportive and very honest.