Tems

Tems is Temilade Openiyi, a Nigerian singer, songwriter and producer born in Lagos on 11 June 1995. She spent part of her early childhood in the UK, grew up in Lagos and studied economics at Monash South Africa. In 2018 she quit her job in digital marketing and taught herself to produce from YouTube videos, producing her first single, “Mr Rebel”, herself.

“Try Me” (2019) and her debut EP For Broken Ears (2020) set up her breakthrough on Wizkid’s “Essence”. Its remix with Justin Bieber reached the Billboard Hot 100 top ten, the first Nigerian song to chart there. She sang on Drake’s “Fountains”, and in 2022 Future and Drake’s “Wait for U”, built on her song “Higher”, debuted at number one on the Hot 100 and won her a Grammy. She co-wrote Rihanna’s “Lift Me Up”, which earned her an Oscar nomination.

Her debut album Born in the Wild (2024) reached the UK top 30. “Love Me JeJe” won her the Grammy for Best African Music Performance, making her the first Nigerian artist with more than one Grammy. “Raindance” with Dave went to number one in the UK, and her second album, Love Is a Kingdom, followed in November 2025. She runs her own label, Leading Vibe.