Nigeria singer, Temilade Openiyi aka Tems has become the first female Nigerian artiste to win a Grammy award. Tem won the ‘Best Melodic Rap Performance’ category on Sunday night for her role in ‘Wait for U’, the 2022 hit song by Future also featuring Drake. Tems, who has made a big impression with her music over the past few years is also up for Album of the Year for her contribution to Beyoncé’s Renaissance. Earlier this year, the “Higher” Singer scored an Oscar nomination at the 2023 Oscars for co-writing “Lift Me Up’, one of the songs on ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” HERE ARE 10 INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT TEMS YOU SHOULD KNOW 1. SHE’S HALF BRITISH Tems, full name, Temilade Openiyi is actually of British descent thanks to her Father’s side. And, in true British fashion, Tems is a huge tea fan. Born to a Nigerian mother and a British father, Her family moved to the United Kingdom shortly after her birth. Her parents divorced when she was five, and she moved to Ilupeju, then to Lekki, and finally to Ajah. 2. CAREER Tems started singing at a tender age. During her secondary school days, she picked up learning the piano. She joined the school’s choir when she was 11 years old without the knowledge of anyone in the family. She remarked that Beyonce’s music was the first to influence her love for making her own songs. She loved singing along to Destiny’s Child’s hit songs, “Soldier” and “Survivor”. 3. SHE WAS A FORMER MARKETING EXECUTIVE Tems had two degrees and was working as a marketer before she went into music fully. 4. SHE IS A TALENTED PRODUCER In addition to writing and singing her songs, Tems also produces her own music which is a very rare thing to see in the music industry. She began producing her songs at the age of 20 and released her first single “Mr Rebel” in 2018.. 5. HER INFLUENCERS ARE…. Tems biggest musical influences are Frank Ocean, Asa, and Lil Wayne 6. SHE’S AN ANIMAE LOVER Tems is a lover of anime. She revealed that her top three Anime shows are: ‘Attack on Titan’, ‘Darker Than Black’, and ‘Demon Slayer’. 7. SHE AND HER MUM ARE REALLY CLOSE Tems doesn’t play when it comes to her mother. She and her mum are really close so much so that on Tems’ debut EP, ‘For Broken Ears’, her mother’s voice occupies the entirety of track 4 – Temilade Interlude. 8. SHE WAS FEATURED ON SOUNDCLOUD’S ARTIST TO WATCH In April, international conglomerate Soundcloud picked Tems as one of their artists to watch. This is not the first time she’s been on an artist to watch list, she’s also been on Pulse, Complex, The Guardian and more’s Artist to Watch lists. 9. LEGAL ISSUES In 2019, after performing at a concert in Uganda which according to Tems, unknowingly failed to abide by COVID-19 guidelines, the singer spent two days in prison. Despite the extremity of the situation, she said the experience gave her a new perspective on life, gaining a deeper appreciation for the love fans showed her. 10.SHE WAS’NT ALWAYS CONFIDENT IN HER ABILITY TO SING PROFESSIONALLY Tems admitted in an interview with The Fader that she used to think her distinctive voice was too “heavy” to sing. According to the singer, she felt like she sounded like a man so she used to sing with falsetto and until she met her music teacher who helped train her voice and encouraged her to keep going.
