Biography of Tems

Temilade Openiyi popularly known as Tems is a Nigerian singer, songwriter and upcoming music producer. She’s single-handedly redefining the Nigerian music scene one musical note at a time. The talented singer became popular with her singles ‘Mr Rebel’, ‘Looku Looku’ and ‘Fallin’ – a collaboration with rapper Ladipoe. The new kid on the block has a unique sound with a fusion of RnB alternative and Neo Soul genres.

Early life and background of Tems

Tems was born July 23, 1996 in Lagos. Brought up a single mom, she attended Dowen college, Lekki. Tems has loved music since she was 5. She started writing songs at age 9, singing at age 13 and producing at 20. While in secondary school, she recorded tunes each day with elder brother who had a guitar. Also, she got inspired by her music teacher who inspired her to pursue music as a career. She figured out how to play the piano and experimented with songs from Asa, Frank Ocean, Amy Winehouse, Adele, Beyoncé, and Rihanna, for their genuine enthusiastic substance.
In an interview with Vibe.ng, she stated that Beyonce was her role model. She earned a degree in Economics from a university in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Her Rise to Fame

She decided to pursue music professionally after graduation. In 2018, She released her debut single “Mr Rebel”. The song was well received and enjoyed massive airplay.
In an interview, she revealed:

“The reception was much better than expected, I actually didn’t expect anything to be honest. I was just like, “I had been recording for so long and didn’t have any song out. Although the people that were helping me record wanted me to chill, I felt like I needed to have at least a song out”. So that if I met someone somewhere and claimed to be a musician, I’d have something to show. That was the major reason why I put out the song though, I didn’t think it would go anywhere. It was surprising how big the song blew because I didn’t promote it or push it in any way”.

Since the release of “Mr Rebel” in July, singer Tems has gotten the opportunity to collaborate with other artists. Her single has not only garnered her a small but appreciative audience. In 2019, Tems released another singled titled “Looku Looku” which was warmly embraced by Nigerians. Few weeks after the release of “Looku Looku” the song became a staple in radio stations in Lagos State, Delta State, Port Harcourt and Abuja.

Considering the reception that “Looku looku” got, Tems went on relase another hit track titled “Try me” . Since it’s release, the official video of Try me has reached over 879,000 views on YouTube- a massive success for a singer without a record label.”Try me” has been topping the official Nigeria Top 10 in MTV Base, SoundCity and HipTV. With recent brouhaha between record labels and artistes, Tems is currently not signed to any record label. She’s trying to get all her options together before signing to any record label. Her single “Try me” is a major breakthrough as she’s been applauded by fans. Even Don Jazzy, one of the biggest music producer in Nigeria have seen the star in her.

Tems’ songs are powerful, passionate and soothing. She’s a nerd and a goofy lady, she likes weird things and watching animal documentaries.Tems once stated if she wasn’t a singer, she would have loved to choose a career as a professor.

Tems’ Relationship

No publicly known relationship at the moment. She’ll rather want to focus on music and build her brand.

Nominations

Tems “Mr Rebel” got nominated for Best Vocal Performance (Female) and Best Alternative Song at the 14th Headies. Although she did not go home with any award, it is only going to take matter of time before she starts bagging awards.

Tems’ Net Worth 

Tems is one of the fast rising Nigerian artist with an estimated networth of $100,000.