Tems may have broken into the limelight with “Try Me,” but her appearance on Wizkid’s “Essence” has propelled her to the forefront of the global music scene.
One of the Interesting facts about Tems whose real name is Temilade Openiyi was that she first caught the eye of the mainstream music industry with her single “Mr. Rebel,” which she performed and composed in 2018.
She followed up with “Looku Looku” and “Try Me,” gaining fans who have since dubbed themselves “rebels.”
Quick to demonstrate that she isn’t a one-hit-wonder, she released another very successful song, ‘Damages,’ in 2020, along with a phenomenal music video. Soon after, she released ‘For Broken Ears,’ a critically and commercially successful EP.
While Tems‘ music has been streamed all over the world and she is quickly becoming a household name, the singer’s personal life is kept very private, and little is known about the incredible songstress.
The alt-R&B singer, who is 26 years old, navigates her life and expresses herself through that titillating state of mind that allows us to be as honest and true to ourselves as possible. Her songs and lyrics reveal a lot about her personal experience as well as how the world has evolved
- RELATED: Tems: “Only Red Coloured Apple fruit in the Greens”
- RELATED: Top 10 most beautiful female Nigerian musician at the moment
Here some interesting facts about Tems you should know;
She is Half-British
Tems is of British descent thanks to her Father’s side. And, in true British fashion, Tems is a huge tea fan.
Born to a Nigerian mother and a British father, Her family moved to the United Kingdom shortly after her birth. Her parents divorced when she was five, and she moved to Ilupeju, then to Lekki, and finally to Ajah.
She was a former marketing executive
Tems had two degrees and was working as a marketer before she went into music fully. Her family reportedly thought it was a wiser decision.
While the songwriter received the majority of her early education in Ilupeju, she attended Dowen College in Lekki until her mother relocated to Ajah. Tems moved to South Africa for her tertiary education shortly after graduating from secondary school in Nigeria. She eventually earned a Bachelor’s degree in Economics.
She has been featured on Barack Obama’s playlist twice
2020 was a good year for Tems as her music got more exposure and she steadily started gaining ground in the international music scene. She was featured by Khalid on the remix of his 2020 song, “Know Your Worth” alongside Davido. The song made it to the list of Barack Obama’s 2020 Summer Playlist.
She entered another of Obama’s playlists courtesy of her feature on WizKid’s “Essence.”
She is a talented producer.
Not many people know this, Tems not only writes and sings her songs, but she also produces her own music, which is unusual in the music industry.
Her journey with Production started after she was frustrated with the type of beats Producers kept sending her. So she turned to Youtube to learn how to produce.
She wrote and produced 90% of the songs on her 2020 EP For Broken Ears. During a track breakdown with Apple Music, she explained how she started creating the song Ice T by engineering a series of sounds and tweaking samples that formed the song’s foundation. She described the process as “intimate” in an interview with Okay Africa.
She wasn’t always confident in her ability to sing professionally.
Tems admitted in an interview with The Fader that she used to think her distinctive voice was too “heavy” to sing.
According to the singer, she felt like she sounded like a man so she used to sing with falsetto and until she met her music teacher who helped train her voice and encouraged her to keep going.
- RELATED: Tems, Blaqbonez on the global Billboard next sound chart (Overview)
- RELATED: Tems x Ayra Starr x Lady Donli song to transform the conservative music culture
She was inspired by Beyonce and Alicia Keys
Tems started music from a tender age and was inspired by a lot of influential artists like Beyonce and Destiny Child. However, she revealed that the first song she ever learned to “properly sing,” is Keys’ powerhouse ballad “If I Ain’t Got You.”