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“It felt like life or …” – Tems opens up on quitting job to chase music
Grammy-winning Nigerian sensation Temilade Openiyi, widely known as Tems, recently shared the courageous and spiritual journey that led her to leave a stable digital marketing career to pursue her true calling in music.
In a heartfelt interview with Billboard, Tems reflected on the pivotal moment back in 2018 when she made the bold choice, describing it as a leap of faith driven by deep spiritual conviction.
“There was a point when I just couldn’t hold back anymore. It hit me — it’s now or never. I kept postponing it, waiting for the faith that God would guide me no matter what path I took,” Tems explained.
She made the decision to quit her job in January 2018 and patiently waited for nearly six to seven months before dropping her debut single, Mr Rebel. That track eventually captured attention and marked the official start of her breakthrough journey.
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“Spiritually, I knew digital marketing wasn’t where I belonged… It felt like a matter of life and death, like this choice could either make or break my destiny,” she added.
Tems’ faith and determination bore fruit when she landed a feature on Wizkid’s 2020 global smash Essence, which climbed to No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100, earning her widespread recognition.
In 2022, she made history as the first African artist to debut at No. 1 on that chart with Future’s Wait For U, featuring both Tems and Drake — a track that later won the Grammy for Best Melodic Rap Performance.
Continuing her streak, Tems earned another Grammy this year for Love Me Jeje, taking home the award for Best African Music Performance, cementing her place as one of Africa’s brightest musical stars.
“I quit my job January 2018… I released Mr. Rebel six seven months after…”
Tems reveals why she quit her digital marketing job. pic.twitter.com/hNNKmFg3Du
— @𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗷𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗯𝗼𝘆 (@OneJoblessBoy) May 15, 2025