In 2022, Tems won numerous awards. Some of the notable recognitions include Hip TV (Headies) Awards, BET Award, Soul Train Award amongst other accolades.
Tems is easily the most decorated Nigerian artiste of the year, despite not releasing a solo single in 2022.
Fascinating, isn’t it?
The popular singer-songwriter who was born Temilade Openiyi gained modest notoriety in mid-2019 following the release of her sleeper hit, ‘Try Me‘.
The single was avant-garde themed music was concerned with the emergence of a maverick generation that wants to be who they are and what the represent.
Check the video below.
Tems immediately became a sensation, primarily because of her talent, skillset and songwriting approach.
Her approach to music speaks to the lonely hearted average Nigerian youth — a melancholy birthed by the extant situation in the country.
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The 27-year-old singer is a multi-talented self-taught pianist, songwriter and music producer, she birthed a novel genre into the music industry.
Unlike her contemporaries, Tems‘ music broke international barriers which led to her emergence as a bonafide superstar.
Within the space of three years, the leader of vibes has gone on to become an internationally renowned artiste. She has worked with international superstars such as Drake, Beyonce, Rihanna and Future.
Additionally, she is already a Grammy nominee accompanied with other international accolades.
What Makes Tems Music So Special?
Is it due to her songwriting dexterity or simply because she is lucky? or in the religious sense, ‘Grace found her’?
Grace: Tems Talks About Discovering Religion
The talented singer-songwriter has oftentimes spoken about her faith. She is an unapologetic believer in Christianity — a fact the artiste had reiterated several times to her teeming fans and followers on social media.
Tems has mentioned on several occasions that ‘God has brought her’ this far. During an interview with ace broadcaster Sonia Irabor for the magazine, Genevieve Magazine in 2021, Tems spoke about her belief for the first time.
She stated;
“Throughout my whole experience, I was just laughing and smiling.
I got so used to the prison, I was already taking care of the babies because my philosophy is: No matter where I am, I will enjoy it. That will be my palace.’’
It is safe to say, Tem‘s acknowledge of God has worked immensely for her. She has been able to attain a feet several of her predecessors have been able to achieve.
Gaze: Set Your Eyes On The Objective
In 2020, Tems released her debut music project, For Broken Ears EP which quickly catapulted her into mainstream prominence.
Tems‘ pursuit of excellence saw her create a music project that would rapidly explain her aim and objective to the world.
The project gave her the ticket to work with Afrobeat superstar, Wizkid. They created a monster hit, ‘Essence’.
‘Essence‘ appeared on Wizkid’s 2020 impressive studio album, Made In Lagos.
On working with Wizkid, Tems had this to say;
““Even (on) the day I recorded (my verse on the song), I felt I could do better.
I asked them to send me the beat again so I could redo my verse but they (Wizkid’s team) said it was great.
I told them I still wanted to ‘top it’ but they did not let me.
However, I was happy with it. I always like to challenge myself and I used to be such a perfectionist.
Wizkid also said he liked it.”
The Pursuit Of Excellence
Perhaps, Tems was lucky, probably, her prayers worked for her, however, it is impossible to deny that Tems is an exceptional songstress. Her talent is designated for the world stage and that is exactly where she is at the moment.
While she isn’t necessarily at the upper echelon of the music industry, Tems could attain legendary status with her yet-to-be-released debut studio album in 2023.
A couple of weeks ago, the singer mentioned that she will be releasing her major music project in the coming year.
Taking to Twitter, the inquisitive netizen identified as @TinnyTolani wanted to know when the serial award-winning songstress will be putting out her debut studio after a successful 2022.
She asked, “@temsbaby promised us an album this year but as we no come hear anything like dis nko?”
Responding, Tems wrote, “Next Year! 💯🥇”
https://twitter.com/temsbaby/status/1594063697604857856?s=20&t=b6CWwjfX6WXEuUrVUSJgVQ
In the coming year, Tems will definitely attain what has always seemed impossible.
