Glamsquad Magazine March 2023

REPORTAGE

Tems:

Rise Of Nigeria’s Grammy

Award Winner

By Amenna Daayo,

Affa Acho, & Shalayne Pulia

Temilade Openiyi, popularly known as

Tems, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter,

and self-taught producer TEMS. She

broke onto the music entertainment

scene in 2018 with her hit single “Mr Rebel.”

The Lagos-born artist actually taught

herself how to produce (via YouTube)

just to release the track, which highlights

her unique, soothing sound built on an

Afrobeats foundation. “Me releasing my

first song is me believing in myself,” she

recounts.

Since then, betting on her talent has paid

off. Tems has carved a space for herself not

only in the Nigerian music industry but on

the global music stage. Her fresh take on

R&B even caught the attention of Tommy

Jeans, a brand known for its legacy of

outfitting icons from ‘90s hip-hop, rap, and

R&B culture.

Tommy Jeans recently cast TEMS in its

new “Play to Progress” campaign, where

she can be seen rocking the Reversible

Chicago Windbreaker.

With ‘Play to Progress,’ Tommy Jeans is

highlighting creators who give themselves

the license and freedom to innovate and

inspire positive, creative change in others,

exactly the kind of legacy Tems hopes to

leave for younger artists. “In general, I know

that I’m going to open so many doors

for African music,” she says. “[I want to]

encourage as many people as I can while

I’m here and be a support, a coach to

anyone that needs me.”

In what many pundits say is the perfect

recognition of her contribution to Afro music

on the global stage, Tems won a Grammy

Award at the 2023 event. Analysts say the

award is a spell of good things to come

for female musicians in the Nigerian music

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