Tems is an award-winning female singer, songwriter, and record producer whose career growth in the Nigerian music industry has been exceptional so far. In this article, we’ll discuss Tems biography so you get to know all you need to know about the Crazy Tings crooner. Read on to learn about her childhood, schools she attended, songs she’s sung, and awards she has earned among others.
The biography of Tems, including her age, career, net worth, and more, would be discussed below:
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Early and Education of Tems
Tems, whose real name is Temilade Openiyi, was born in Lagos on June 11, 1995, to a Nigerian mother and a British father. Her dad separated from her mother when she was only five years old. Her family resided in Ilupeju during her early days, then moved to Lekki. While residing in Lekki, she was enrolled in Dowen College. After completing her secondary school education at Dowen College, Tems relocated to Johannesburg, South Africa to study Economics at the Independent Institute of Education.
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Music Career History of Tems
Tems first attempt at putting her music out to the public happened about a decade ago when she dropped Time Swap, a four-song extended project. The EP went largely unnoticed by the Nigerian populace. Her next attempt at making music for public consumption was after she had returned to Nigeria upon completion of her bachelor’s degree in Johannesburg, South Africa. After working for a short while in Lagos, Tems quit her job in early 2018 to focus on music. She started learning how to produce songs by herself, making use of YouTube. On July 18 of the same year, Tems released Mr Rebel, which she wrote, recorded, and produced all by herself.
About a year after the release of Mr Rebel, Tems released Try Me, on August 7, 2019, which became a hit. Shortly after, she dropped another single titled, Looku Looku. With her singles becoming quite popular at the time, Tems was enlisted alongside Davido on April 23, 2020, to feature on the reworked version of Khalid and Disclosure’s single, Know Your Worth.
On 25 September 2020, Tems released her 8-track extended project titled, For Broken Ears, through Leading Vibes Limited. Some of the songs of the EP gained massive airplay, streams, and nationwide popularity including Free Mind, Higher, and Damages. The EP peaked atop the Nigerian Apple Music Charts and reached number 6 on the TurnTable Top 50 chart. For Broken Ears peaked at number 26 on 2022 US Independent Albums (Billboard).
Wizkid, pleased with Tems’ talent, enlisted her help on Essence, a song off his Made in Lagos album. On October 30, 2020, Essence was released, and instantly, the song became a hit across the African continent, the United States, and Europe. The song featured at the top spots of many music charts, ultimately earning Wizkid and Tems numerous nominations and awards. Following the success of Essence, a reworked version, which featured Justin Beiber, alongside Tems, was released in August 2021 and became a massive hit as well.
On August 13, 2021, Tems was featured on one of Drake’s Certified Lover Boy’s songs, titled Fountains. A month later, after signing a deal with RCA records, Tems dropped another extended play project titled, If Orange Was a Place, via Since ’93 and RCA. The EP contained 5 songs including Crazy Tings, Found, Replay, Avoid Things, and Vibe Out. The EP was a critical success, earning Tems numerous nominations and awards.
Another milestone of Tems’s music career was when Future, the American rapper, featured her and Drake on Wait for U. Wait for U, was sampled from Higher, off Tems’ Broken for Ears. The song peaked at number 1 on the Hot 100, which made Tems the first African female to achieve that feat. The song is currently nominated for the Grammys Award in more than two categories.
In mid-2022, Tems was featured on Beyonce’s song Move, off the Renaissance album. She also did a cover for Bob Marley’s No Woman, No Cry, which was used as a soundtrack for Black Panther: Wakanda, and also co-wrote Rihanna’s Lift me Up, for the Black Partner: Wakanda Forever soundtrack.
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Discography
Here are some of the songs by Tems:
- Crazy Tings
- Replay
- Try Me
- Looku Looku
- Time Swap
- Ghost Detain
- If U Then I
- Mr Rebel
- Interference
- Ice T
- Free Mind
- Temilade
- Interlude
- Higher
- Damages
- The Key
- Vibe Out
- Avoid Things
- Found (ft. Brent Faiyez)
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Awards Won by Tems
Tems boasts dozens of awards and nominations since she entered the Nigerian music industry. However, for this section, we’ll settle on those she has won.
Here’s a list of awards Tems has won so far:
- Best New Artist Award – Soul Train Music Awards (2022)
- Favorite R&B Song for Essence (Wizkid ft. Tems) – American Music Award (2022)
- Favorite Hip-Hop Song for Wait for U (Future ft. Drake & Tems) – American Music Award (2022)
- Impact Award – BMI London Awards (2022)
- International Award – O2 Silver Clef Awards (2022)
- Best Collaboration for Essence (Wizkid ft. Tems) – BET Awards (2022)
- Best Female Artiste – The Headies (2022)
- Best R&B Album for If Orange Was a Place – The Headies (2022)
- Best Collaboration for Essence (Wizkid ft. Tems) – The Headies (2022)
- Outstanding International Song Award for Essence (Wizkid ft. Tems) – NAACP Image Awards (2022)
- Outstanding Music Video/Visual Album Award for Essence (Wizkid ft. Tems) – NAACP Image Awards (2022)
- Pop Song of the Year (Female) Award for Damages – Afro X Digital Award (2021)
- Best Collaboration for Essence (Wizkid ft. Tems) – Soul Train Music Awards (2021)
- Song of the Year Award for Essence (Wizkid ft. Tems) – African Entertainment Awards USA (2021)
- Best Video Award for Essence (Wizkid ft. Tems) – African Entertainment Awards USA (2021)
- Best Collaboration for Essence (Wizkid ft. Tems) – African Entertainment Awards USA (2021)
- Best Female Artist – African Entertainment Awards USA (2021)
- Song of the Year for Essence (Wizkid ft. Tems) – All Africa Music Awards (2021)
- Best African Collaboration for Essence (Wizkid ft. Tems) – All Africa Music Awards (2021)
- Most Played Alternative Song for Damages – Net Honour (2021)
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Age
Tems will turn 28 years old on June 11, 2023.
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Net Worth
Tems career so far has given her several avenues to earn a mega income, including endorsement deals, revenues from music streaming platforms, live performances, and collaborations with other established artists. According to multiple online publications, Tems is estimated to be worth around $500,000 to $800,000.