Tems Biography: Early Life, Career, Songs, Awards, Controversy, Relationship, Net Worth

Temilade Openiyi (born 11 June 1995), sometimes known as Tems, is a Nigerian singer-songwriter and record producer. She gained fame after appearing on Wizkid’s 2020 single “Essence,” which peaked at number nine on the Billboard Hot 100 chart following the release of a remix version featuring Justin Bieber. The song landed her a Grammy Award nomination. That same year, she appeared on Canadian rapper Drake‘s song “Fountains”.

For Broken Ears, Tems’ debut extended play (EP) was released in 2020. She signed with RCA Records and will release her second EP, If Orange Was a Place, in 2021. Future sampled Tems’ voice from her song “Higher” on his single “Wait for U” in 2022, resulting in her being recognized as a guest artist on the track with Drake.

The song debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, making her the first African and second Nigerian artist to achieve this feat. The song won her a Grammy Award for Best Melodic Rap Performance.

Tem Biography

Temilade Openiyi, also known as Tems, is a Nigerian musician and songwriter born on June 11, 1995. Temilade Openiyi was born in Lagos and came to the United Kingdom with her British-Nigerian father and Nigerian mother.

After her parents’ divorce, she returned to Nigeria at the age of five and eventually graduated from Dowen College in Lagos. Tems continued her education at Monash University in South Africa, where she earned a BA in economics.

In high school, she was constantly tormented due to her voice. She joined her school choir at the age of 11 and soon began singing in falsetto before being recognised by her music instructor, who trained her and taught her to play the piano. Tems frequently practiced singing with her brother, who often accompanied her on guitar.

Career

Tems left her digital marketing job in 2018 to pursue a music career. She began learning self-production skills on YouTube, and on July 18, 2018, she published her debut track, “Mr Rebel,” which she produced herself. On August 7, 2019, she released her single “Try Me”.

DJ Edu named her one of the “ten artists to watch” for 2020. Tems appeared alongside fellow Nigerian artist Davido on a revised version of “Know Your Worth” by American singer-songwriter Khalid and English electronic music duo Disclosure, which was released on April 23, 2020.

Tems released For Broken Ears, her debut extended play, on September 25, 2020. It was primarily produced by her, and the EP’s single “Damages” became another follow-up hit to “Try Me”, hitting number one on the Nigerian Apple Music chart and number six on the then-newly created TurnTable Top 50 chart, with five million views on YouTube. Tems appeared on fellow Nigerian artist Wizkid’s fourth studio album, Made in Lagos, with the single “Essence” on October 30, 2020.

The song peaked at number one on the BBC 1Xtra Airplay Chart and debuted at number nine on the Billboard Hot 100. On August 13, 2021, a modified version of “Essence” was released, featuring extra vocals from Canadian singer Justin Bieber, propelling the song to number nine on the Billboard Hot 100.

Tems appeared on Canadian rapper and singer Drake’s song “Fountains” from the latter’s sixth studio album, Certified Lover Boy, which debuted at number 26 on the Hot 100. Tems joined with RCA Records and released her second extended play, If Orange Was a Place, on September 15, 2021.

GuiltyBeatz mostly produced it, and the single “Crazy Tings” was released five days earlier and peaked at number three on the UK Afrobeats Singles Chart. Tems went on to top the Billboard Next Big Sound and Emerging Artists charts.

Apple Music 1 launched the Leading Vibe Radio Show with Tems on March 31, 2022. Muyiwa Awoniyi and Tunji Balogun will appear in the first episode, which airs on April 2. Tems appeared alongside Drake on the single “Wait for U” from American rapper Future’s ninth studio album, I Never Liked You, released on April 29, 2022.

The song debuted at number one on the Hot 100 chart, making Tems the first African female singer to do so. The song samples “Higher” from For Broken Ears.

Tems recorded a cover of Bob Marley’s “No Woman, No Cry” for the soundtrack of the Marvel film Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, for which she was credited with Rihanna. Tems earned her fourth Hot 100 hit on July 26 with her song “Free Mind” from For Broken Ears, which debuted at number 44 and topped the U.S. Afrobeats single chart.

She received her first platinum and silver solo certifications in the United States and the United Kingdom. Tems was confirmed as a guest artist on Beyoncé’s album Renaissance in July 2022, collaborating on the song “Move” with Grace Jones, which became her seventh Hot 100 hit. In October 2022, she co-wrote Rihanna’s song “Lift Me” for the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever album.

Tems headlined the NBA All-Star Game’s Afrobeats-themed halftime show in February 2023. The following month, Future, Drake, and Tems received the Grammy Award for Best Melodic Rap Performance for “Wait for U”. Thus, she became the first female Nigerian musician to win a Grammy Award.

Tems earned the Female MVP title at the Soundcity MVP Awards, which took place in February 2023 in Lagos’ Eko Convention Centre. Tems received an invitation to the Met Gala, fashion’s biggest night out, in May 2023. She was the first female Afrobeats artist to attend the event.

Tems’ single “Me & U” was released on October 5, 2023. The song is Tems’ first solo release since If Orange Was a Place, except for a cover of Bob Marley’s “No Woman, No Cry” published in 2022. “Me & U” peaked at number one on the UK Afrobeats Singles list and number 34 on the UK Singles Chart, while in the United States it reached number ten on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 list.

Tems became the first African artist to get a Billboard Women in Music Award in March 2024, winning in the Breakthrough category. Tems’ debut studio album, Born in the Wild, was released on June 7 and will be followed by a world tour. The second track from the album, “Love Me JeJe,” was revealed and previewed during Tems’ debut Coachella appearance and was released on April 25.

The album was a commercial success, reaching the top 30 in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Switzerland. In the US, it peaked at fifty six becoming the highest peak for an album by a Nigerian female artist. Tems launched her ongoing Born in the Wild Tour in June.

Tems had the most nominations for an African artist at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards, with three: Born in the Wild for Best Global Music Album, “Burning” for Best R&B Song, and “Love Me JeJe” for Best African Music Performance. Tems was the first Nigerian performer to win numerous Grammy Awards.

Tems joined the San Diego FC ownership group in 2025, making her the first African woman to own a Major League Soccer franchise in any capacity. On November 21, 2025, she surprised everyone by releasing her EP Love Is A Kingdom.

Tems songs

•  Avoid Things – If Orange Was a Place – 2021
• Born in the Wild – Born in the Wild – 2024
• Boy O Boy – Born in the Wild – 2024
• Burning – Born in the Wild – 2024
• Crazy Tings – If Orange Was a Place – 2021
• Damages – For Broken Ears – 2020
• Essence (Wizkid featuring Tems) – Made in Lagos – 2021
• Forever – Born in the Wild – 2024
• Found (featuring Brent Faiyaz) – If Orange Was a Place – 2021
• Fountains (Drake featuring Tems) – Certified Lover Boy – 2021
• Free Fall (featuring J. Cole) – Born in the Wild – 2024
• Free Mind – For Broken Ears – 2020
• Gangsta – Born in the Wild – 2024
• Get It Right (featuring Asake) – Born in the Wild – 2024
• Higher – For Broken Ears – 2020
• Hold On – Born in the Wild – 2024
• Ice T – For Broken Ears – 2020
• Interference – For Broken Ears – 2020
• Know Your Worth (Khalid and Disclosure featuring Davido and Tems) – Non-album single – 2020
• Looku Looku – Non-album single – 2019
• Love Me JeJe – Born in the Wild – 2024
• Me & U – Born in the Wild – 2024
• Move (Beyoncé featuring Grace Jones and Tems) – Renaissance – 2022
• Mr Rebel – Non-album single – 2018
• No Woman, No Cry (with Marvel) – Black Panther: Wakanda Forever – 2022
• No.1 (Tyla featuring Tems) – Tyla – 2024
• Not an Angel – Non-album single – 2023
• Ready – Born in the Wild – 2024
• Replay – If Orange Was a Place – 2021
• Special Baby (Interlude) – Born in the Wild – 2024
• T-Unit – Born in the Wild – 2024
• Témìládè Interlude – For Broken Ears – 2020
• The Key – For Broken Ears – 2020
• These Days – Non-album single – 2020
• Try Me – Non-album single – 2019
• Turn Me Up – Born in the Wild – 2024
• Unfortunate – Born in the Wild – 2024
• Vibe Out – If Orange Was a Place – 2021
• Voices in My Head (Interlude) – Born in the Wild – 2024
• Wait for U (Future featuring Drake and Tems) – I Never Liked You – 2022
• Wickedest – Born in the Wild – 2024
• You in My Face – Born in the Wild – 2024

Studio albums

• Born in the Wild (2024)
• For Broken Ears (2020)
• If Orange Was a Place (2021)
• Love Is a Kingdom (2025)

Tours

• Born in the Wild Tour

Awards and nominations

Tems received the most nominations of any African artist at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards, with three: Born in the Wild for Best Global Music Album, “Burning” for Best R&B Song, and “Love Me JeJe” for Best African Music Performance. Tems was the first Nigerian performer to win many Grammy Awards.

Tems joined the San Diego FC ownership group in 2025, becoming the first African woman to control a Major League Soccer franchise of any kind. On November 21, 2025, she astonished everyone with the release of her EP Love Is A Kingdom.

Her appearance on Wizkid’s track “Essence” propelled the song into the top ten following a remix with Justin Bieber, earning her the number one place on the BBC 1Xtra Airplay chart.

Essence debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at number nine. Tems received a Soul Train Music Award for Best Collaboration alongside Wizkid, as well as two NAACP Image Awards, as a result of the collaboration.

They were ranked first on Billboard’s Next Big Sound list and fifth on the Billboard Emerging Artist chart. In October, Billboard named Tems the R&B rookie of the month. Essence, from the 2020 album “Made in Lagos,” won the All Africa Music Awards Song of the Year.

Tems, along with Wizkid, received AAMA nominations for Best Artist, Duo, or Group in African R&B & Soul and Breakout Artist of the Year (Damages). In 2020, the team won the Best African Collaboration award.

Tems received a Grammy nomination for her collaboration with Wizkid on the song ‘Essence’.

Other Awards and Nominations include:

• 2021-African Entertainment Awards USA
• Best Female(nominated)
• Artist of the Year
• Best Female Artist – Central/West Africa    (Nominated)
• Won Best Collaboration    “Essence”(Wizkid featuring Tems)
• Won Best Video(Essence)
• Won Song of the Year(Essence)

2022-BET Awards

• (Essence)Justin Bieber, Wizkid, and Tems won Best Collaboration
• Tems won Best International Act

2022-Headies Awards

• Tems has been nominated for Best R&B Album and Best Female Artiste (If Orange Was a Place)
• Tems and Wizkid (Essence) have been nominated for Best Collaboration.

2023 Awards

• Tems won the Best Song Written for hr song “Lift Me”
• Tems won the Best Original Song for “Lift Me Up.”

2024 Awards

• Tems won the Afrobeats Artist of the Year.
• Tems won the Most Outstanding New Artist

2025 Awards

• Tems won the Best R&B Song for the song “Burning.”
• Tems won the Grammy’s Best Global Music Album award with the album “Born in the Wild”
• Best African Music Performance for “Love Me JeJe”

Personal Life

Despite her growing prominence, she has kept her personal life very secret. She is currently rumoured to be single and focused on her music career. While many admirers are curious about her romances, she has opted to focus on her craft and personal development.

Controversy

Tems was detained on December 14, 2020, alongside fellow Nigerian musician Omah Lay, following a performance in Uganda. The Ugandan police cited a violation of COVID-19 lockdown regulations as the reason for their detention, but the two artists believed they had been set up. [99][100] Two days later, the Ugandan government set them free, apologised for the arrests, and dismissed the accusations against Tems and Omah Lay.

Tem Net Worth

Tems’ net worth in 2025 is expected to be $5 million. Her hit singles, collaborations with major international singers, successful concert tours, and brand sponsorships have all contributed to her considerable earnings. Tems’ money comes from a variety of sources, including song sales, streaming revenue, and live performances.

Her collaboration with Wizkid on “Essence” and her work with Drake and other international artists have resulted in millions of dollars in royalties, which have significantly increased her wealth.

Social Media

• Instagram: @temsbaby
• Facebook: @temsbaby
• Twitter: @temsbaby
• YouTube Channel: Tems
• TikTok: @temsbaby