Anna Paulson
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You’ve probably heard of Tems after her controversial outfit choice at the 2023 Oscars, but there’s more to this Nigerian songstress than just that opulent, one-night ensemble. Hailing from Lagos, this up-and-coming starlet has pushed her way into the music industry’s spotlight, working with legends like Beyonce, Drake, Future, and Justin Bieber.
So, what is it about this singer that sets her apart? Aside from her comforting vocal clarity, Tems beautifully incorporates her West African roots into her music with distinct percussive sound. Who is Tems? Find out with this complete bio.
Who is Tems?
Temilade Openiyi – better known by her stage name “Tems” – is a Grammy-award nominated singer, songwriter, and record producer. The young star began her professional career in 2018 but has quickly pierced through the industry with her unique voice and captivating sound.
When Was Tems Born?
Tems was born on June 11, 1995. Tems birthdate places her within the astronomical territory of the Gemini star sign.
Known for being adaptable, charming, and creative, Tem’s zodiac sign perfectly captures the songstress’s personality.
Where is Tems From?
Tems was born in Lagos City, Nigeria, but moved to the UK with her family shortly after her birth. There, she spent five years of her childhood before moving back to Nigeria when her parents decided to separate.
Where Does Tems Live?
Currently, Tems lives in a flat in West London but maintains her roots in Nigeria with frequent trips and visits to her hometown.
Tems’s Ethnicity
Tems was born to a Nigerian mother and a British-Nigerian father, which explains why she spent some of her childhood in the UK.
How Tall is Tems?
Ever since her rise to fame, Tems has been on the receiving end of endless questions and curiosities from her avid fans. On X (formerly Twitter), Tems regularly connects with fans who ask questions and once responded that she measures 5 feet and 9 inches to a fan asking about Tems’s height.
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How Much Does Tems Weigh?
Tems often flaunts her curvy, feminine figure in videos and on social media. According to reports, Tems’s weight could be anything between 130-150 pounds.
How Did Tems Become Famous?
Being born into a traditional and deeply religious family, Tems’s future was mapped before she could even walk – get into a good school, study hard, get a job, and get married. For the most part of her young life, Tems did what she could to achieve exactly that.
She studied economics at the Monash University South Africa in Johannesburg and excelled in her classes. But despite her academic success, Tems often felt the need to express herself through music which she would often experiment with in the confines of her room.
The future Grammy award winner studied how to make beats by watching YouTube videos and wrote songs in her free time. Back then, becoming a pop singer wasn’t on her mind.
After graduating from college, the “Free Mind” singer got an office job in digital marketing back in her hometown of Lagos. While the job paid well and gave her a bright career in an office setting, the artist felt as though she was living a lie.
So against the norms for women in her culture, Tems quit her job and decided to pursue a career in music – a move that was met with the raised eyebrows of her family and close friends.
Six months after her big leap of faith, Tems released her first song, “Mr Rebel.” The original RnB/soul single was a do-it-yourself production that perfectly placed Tems’ soulful voice front and center, featuring the distinct depth of the Afrobeats style.
The song made ripples across the internet landscape and reached the right people, earning Tems a radio interview. At the time, the “Damages” singer was at her lowest point, describing herself as being beyond broke, stealing food, and begging her aunties for food to take home.
Following the success of “Mr. Rebel,” Tems released “Try Me,” which eventually reached DJ Edu – the London-based DJ known for broadcasting the sound of the Afrobeats underground to the rest of the world. The release earned Tems a spot on the DJ’s list of top 10 artists to watch in 2020.
By this time, Tems’s career was on a steep upward trajectory, and the RnB singer maintained her momentum by dropping her first-ever EP, For Broken Ears. Its lead single, “Damages,” soared to the top of the Nigerian Apple Music charts before earning over five million views on YouTube.
As Tems continued to build her popularity, a collaboration with rapper Wizkid – a fellow Nigerian singer – would skyrocket her to international stardom. Their song “Essence” rose to the ninth spot on the Billboard Hot 100 and to the top spot on BBC1Xtra.
The song won Tems a Soul Train Music Award, two NAACP Image Awards, and a Grammy nomination for Best Global Music Performance.
With the success of “Essence,” Tems found herself in the watchful gaze of dozens of artists who found her sound to be particularly hypnotic. Now a recognized international artist, Tems would go on to collaborate with Justin Bieber for a reworked version of “Essence,” with Drake for his own song “Fountains,” and two years later with Beyonce on her song “Move.”
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Tems’s Parents
Not much is known about the “Free Mind” singer’s parents. However, a tweet featuring a vintage advertisement for Royco, a South African soup and sauce brand, piqued the starlet’s attention. Tems responded to the advertisement and confirmed that the beautiful young woman in the commercial was, in fact, her mother.
Although she hasn’t mentioned the names of either of her parents, Tems speaks highly of her mother and doesn’t mind gushing about the lengths her mother has gone to support her career choices.
During one concert, Tems got emotional as she opened up about a difficult time during her rise to the top and how she dedicated “Mr Rebel” to her mom.
Tems’s Sibling
Tems has one known brother who goes by the name Tunji. The two grew up together under the care of their mother and share a fairly close bond.
In one interview, the singer explained how she and her brother were raised in a small community where everyone knew everyone, with the duo being known as “Temi and Tunji from down the street.
Tems’s brother maintains his identity outside of his sister’s fame, similar to their parents.
Who is Tems Dating?
Before she started her music career, Tems dated Reginald Dubby, a rap hopeful. In 2017, the two split after he cheated on Tems with her then-best friend. Reginald Dubby has since publicly apologized, but Tems bit back in response through an Instagram comment.
Currently, there is no news about who Tems’s boyfriend might be as the RnB star prefers to keep her social life under lock and key.
Recently, however, Tems had to shut down rumors that she was pregnant with Future’s baby after she appeared at the Burberry Spring/Summer 2023 fashion show with an apparent baby bump. According to the star, she received death threats following the circulation of the rumor.
Did Tems Write Songs For Rihanna?
With her lyrical talent, Tems has had the privilege of writing for various other artists in the realm of RnB. Among her proudest accomplishments is having co-written Rihanna‘s single “Lift Me” from the Black Panther 2 soundtrack.
Why Did Tems Take a Break From Music?
In June of 2022, Tems announced via Instagram that she had to postpone several live shows following a reflux laryngitis – a painful condition characterized by the swelling of the vocal folds due to the backflow of stomach acid.
The star has since recovered and has no lasting injuries from the diagnosis.
Why Did Tems Go to Prison?
While the details remain vague, Tems was locked up in a Uganda prison for two nights following a concert that she did there post-pandemic. According to the artist, one character at the locality was acting “strange” and “threatened Nigerian artists.”
After her set, she walked off stage to be greeted by police officers in plain clothes. She was arrested for allegedly violating health standards and protocol but was released after two nights.
What Did Tems Wear to the Oscars?
In 2023, Tems became the first Nigerian woman to be nominated for Best Original Song at the Oscars for her work “Lift Me Up.” However, it’s not her nomination that drew the crowd’s attention.
At the event, Tems wore an avant-garde, white cloud dress with a large headpiece that extended way beyond her height. The dress – made and designed by Ukrainian brand Lever Coutoure – made the star stand out, not only because of its outlandish silhouette but because it blocked out the view of audience members behind the musician.
The dress drew in opinions from netizens and divided the internet for weeks. Regardless of her dress’s mixed reception, Tems says she has no regrets and that the dress was a symbol of the pride she takes in her work and her heritage.
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Career
Despite her fairly short career as a professional music artist, Tems has established herself as a force to be reckoned with. Writing for and collaborating with A-list artists like Rihanna, Beyonce, and Drake, Tems finds herself in a position that most would only reach after decades of hard work.
Interestingly, however, despite having been in the industry for seven years, Tems has yet to release a debut album. Currently, the Grammy-award-winning singer touts two EPs – For Broken Ears and If Orange Was a Place.
While the first EP was self-produced and released, her second EP was released under RCA. The singer-songwriter signed a record deal with the music production juggernaut in 2021 and is thus expected to release her first studio album by 2024 or 2025.
Even without an official recorded album under her belt yet, Tems enjoys relative prominence in today’s pop culture scene. On the music streaming service Spotify, the artist has over 14 million monthly listeners.
On YouTube music, the RnB Afrobeats star has close to 800,000 subscribers and rakes in tens of millions of views on her music videos. This, plus her busy schedule of concerts and tours, provides the soulful singer a steady flow of income that’s more than enough to satisfy her and her family’s needs.
More than that, Tems makes a hefty revenue through collaborations with other artists. Her touching, emotional lyrical abilities have made her the go-to for RnB artists who want that soulful touch to their songs.
Of course, there’s also no way to discount Tems’s naturally comforting voice. Her deep timbre and slow, eloquent control laced with a rich African accent make the singer’s sound unique in an industry that’s flooded by the same generic rap, pop, and hip-hop.
She proved her musical prowess when she won her first Grammy after just six years in the industry. The musician bagged the Best Melodic Rap Performance Grammy award for “Wait For U,” a collaboration between her, Drake, and Future.
Aside from a Grammy and an Oscar nomination, Tems boasts a wide range of accolades from different authorities, including the BET, The Headies, iHeart Radio Music Awards, American Music Awards, South African Music Awards, and NAACP Image Awards.
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