Nigerian singer Tems on Sunday, cemented her place in history as she won a Grammy at the 2023 Grammys.
Tems won alongside Future and Drake, for Best Melodic Rap Performance with “Wait for U
The 2022 track won out over songs from other artists including Jack Harlow (“First Class”), Kendrick Lamar (“Die Hard”), Latto (“Big Energy (Live)”), DJ Khaled (“Beautiful”). None of the artists was at the Grammys to accept the award.
Tems, 27, whose real name is Temilade Openiyi, has experienced a remarkable rise.
She self-produced her debut single, Mr Rebel, in 2018, which led to an almost instant fan base called Rebel Gang, who appreciated its unique sound and faster pace compared to other female Nigerian singers.
Just over four years later, she’s a Grammy winner with a list of collaborations with notable international artists.
Featuring on Wizkid’s 2020 single Essence helped propel her to global prominence when the song reached the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Dubbed the song of the summer, it saw her fan base expand beyond Africa.
She is reportedly working on collaborations with several mega starts including Beyoncé and Rihanna.
Her vocal talent has been praised by fellow artists.
This win also comes a little over a month before the 2023 Oscars where Tems could once again make history as the first Nigerian artist to ever win an Academy Award thanks to her co-writing credit on Rihanna’s “Lift Me Up” off the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack.
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Joseph Omoniyi
