Tems

Temilade Openiyi – born in Lagos on June 11, 1995 – is a Nigerian R&B artist better known by her stage name Tems. Her talents were recognized at an early age by her music teacher. She learned piano and would practice her singing with accompaniment provided by her brother on guitar. Her first single was the self-composed song “Mr. Rebel,” released in 2018. She followed that single with two in 2019: “Looku Looku” and “Try Me.” The single ”Try Me” became a hit thanks to social media. In 2020, she released the single “These Days” and collaborated with fellow Nigerian Davido on the Afrobeats remix of Kahlid’s “Know Your Worth.” In September 2020, Tems released her debut EP For Broken Ears, which was followed in 2021 by the charting singles “Me & U” and “Free Mind.” In 2022, Tems was featured – alongside Drake - on Future’s hit single, “Wait For U,” which hit number 1 on the Swedish Heatseekers chart and the Billboard Hot 100 in the US. Tems was introduced to a wider audience when she performed “No Woman No Cry” on the soundtrack to Wakanda Forever: Black Panther. She also co-wrote “Lift Me Up” for the soundtrack, which was performed by Rihanna. Her relationship with Rihanna continued on the song “Move,” which was featured on Rihanna’s 2022 album Renaissance. In 2023, she shared a Grammy Award for Best Melodic Rap Performance with Future and Drake for their collaboration on the prior year’s “Wait for U.” Tems released her long-awaited debut album, Born in the Wild, in 2024, which peaked at number 3 in Nigeria, number 25 in the UK, and number 56 in the USA. The album included the previously released single “Me & U” plus “Love Me JeJe,” which became her biggest international hit and won the Grammy Award of the Best African Music Performance in February 2025. Later that year, Tems released the 7-track EP Love Is the Kingdom, featuring the hit "Big Daddy."