Tems Spells Wizkid, Adele as Source of Inspiration

Nigerian fast-rising singer, songwriter and record producer, Tems has counted Wizkid and Adele as her source of inspiration and her desire to toll their lanes in the music industry.

TEMS

Tems, birth named, Temilade Openiyi was born on June 11, 1995 in Lagos, to a Nigerian mother and a British-Nigerian father. Tems family moved to the United Kingdom shortly after birth. Her parents separated when she was five, and relocated to Ilupeju, before moving to Lekki then Ajah.

At school she was noticed by her music teacher and she studied the piano as a kid. She would practice singing with her brother’s guitar accompaniment. Using her mother’s poem book, she created her first song when she was six.

Fast forward to 2018, she quitted her marketing job and released the single “Mr Rebel.” The song blew up and earned Tems two nominations at the Nigerian awards show.

In 2020, her collaboration with Wizkid on their song “Essence” earned her a number one spot on BBC 1Xtra Airplay Chart and also earned her first career entry on Billboard Hot 100.

On August 31, 2021, the Nigerian singer and the magical voice on ‘Essence,’ Tems got on a viral video, as she was named BET’s Amplified Artist of The Month of August 2021.

During the conversation, she was asked about her inspirations in music and she said, “Wizkid is definitely one of the people I respect that does music. I have lots of love for Adele.”

While she says that she has no dream collaborations at the moment, she is most proud of taking the leap into making music. During her 2020 chat with Pulse, she explained how she got into music.

Tems also defers to God for all her successes, not her talent. Her biggest goal is to tour at least 10 different countries. Before the end of the chat, she also revealed that she is set to release music later in the year.

In 2020, Tems released her debut EP “For Broken Ears”. But she has since gone international with the mega success of ‘Essence’ by Wizkid.