Last night, Tems embraced her career’s defining moments. Moreover, last year she was in the league of young Nigerian artists nominated for the most coveted Nigerian Next Rated category at the 14th Headies awards ceremony.
Meanwhile, within an incredible looming space of another one year, her artistry makes solid statements with several contributions and an impactful year she’s committed, her name is now boldly written on history books as the first Nigerian female act to bring home the “Best New International Act” plaque at the 2022 BET award ceremony. She grabbed awards in two categories including “Best Music Collaboration” alongside Wizkid and Justin Bieber for their contribution to the globe-trotting “Essence.”
Tems fearlessly stepped in the game around 2018 after quitting her job as a digital marketer, and in turn released her debut “Mr. Rebel,” which crowned her special up until now she’s considered a bright looming superstar conquering spaces. In 2019, she delivered us the unflinching strokes from her smash hit single “Try Me,” debuted her EP “For Broken Ears” the next year and now it is safe to say Tems has successfully associated herself with the big guns in less than five years. She has joined the big league of superstars that consistently make bold artistic statements internationally. Also, her excellent contribution to Wizkid’s almighty “Essence,” was nominated and arguably lost to a Pakistan Arooj Aftab at the 64th Grammys in “Best Global Music Performance” category.
With her unique blend of music and style often portrayed in silhouette dresses that don’t depend on sex appeal, Tems is well on her way to framing herself as a solid trademark on the culture as well, and she’s setting the bar for other young and old African singers and mostly other Nigerian female creators. With double extended plays, and her more recent sophomore project titled “If Orange Was A Place” dished out last year, she continuously stirs the water with her soulful vocals, rekindled R&B sounds, and a proper collection of alternative sounds which is the careful make-up and display of her music. With her artistic contributions that had given birth to great songs like the unofficial 2021 song of the summer with Nigerian Afrobeats poster boy Wizkid, alongside the Canadian Justin Bieber, Tems made incredible statements. The one other blooming female stars could look up to.
She also was on Drake’s highly anticipated sixth studio album “Certified Loverboy” on track sixteen titled “Fountain.” While, the 38-year-old American rapper-singer Future, also had her delivering pleasantly on his ninth studio album “I Never Liked You” on track seven alongside Drake. Tems is well on her way, she is adulated as the Queen-elect of Afrobeats on social media spaces in this minimal space of time, without any full-length album. She is making giant strides regardless.
Behind her is her cult popularly tagged “Rebel,” and in front is her sturdy dexterity which has invited the attention of a range of international stars and more. She has more, plus an anticipated debut album and yet we can call this vibe the leading one as she formerly calls it, with or without she is proving it and is moving an upward trajectory and earning herself all that she deserves. She lost at the Next Rated category a year ago, and now She has clinched BET’s “Best New International Act,” alongside “Best Music Collaboration” for an excellent work of art on Wizkid’s globe-trotting track ‘Essence,’ however, more could unfold. These as signs and times that Tems is the leading vibe.
