On the Angie Martinez Show, Tems told a story that says everything about where she started. In 2018, she had finished recording her debut single “Mr Rebel” and could not upload it. The fee was $12. She did not have an international card to process the payment. An aunt based in the United States eventually footed the bill, and the song made it online. No one who heard that lo-fi alté-soul record in 2018 could have predicted that the same woman would, within a decade, co-write a song for Rihanna that earned an Oscar nomination, appear on a Beyonce album, win two Grammy Awards, score a number one on the Billboard Hot 100, and upon turning 31, feature as one of the performers at the Obama Presidential Center Grand Opening alongside musical legends.
Tems’ journey to stardom is a really intriguing one. And on June 11, 2026, she turned 31. Walk with me as we take a moment to sit with how far she has come.
The Girl Who Taught Herself Everything
Temilade Openiyi was born in Lagos, Nigeria in 1995 to a Nigerian mother and a British-Nigerian father. She moved to the United Kingdom with her parents shortly after being born, but after they divorced when she was five years old, she returned to Nigeria with her mother. That upbringing in two different worlds would later inform the dual musical sensibility that makes her so hard to box in. She lists Alicia Keys and Lauryn Hill among her inspirations, recalling that the first song she properly learned to sing was Alicia Keys’ “If I Ain’t Got You” at age 12.
She went on to study economics at Monash University South Africa in Johannesburg, writing music in her spare time and teaching herself music production by watching YouTube tutorials. That self-production education is probably the most important detail here. It is the reason Tems arrived on the scene as a complete artist, not just a vocalist in need of a producer. Before venturing into music full time, she worked as a digital marketer. In 2018, she left that job to pursue music. The decision to bet on herself before there was any evidence the bet would pay off is central to understanding her as an individual.
Mr Rebel and the Alté Arc (2018 to 2019)
She released her debut single “Mr Rebel” on July 18, 2018, followed by “Try Me” on August 7, 2019. Both records planted a flag. Tems arrived with something different entirely. A deep, commanding voice. Songs built on introspection and well thought lyricism, not just vibes. This was something we hadn’t seen since Asa. An alternative soul and R&B sensibility that sat at odds with the fast-paced Afropop that dominated the airwaves. Her powerful voice was its own statement, the vocal effort she put into hitting difficult notes an antithesis to the upbeat Afropop sound that female superstars like Yemi Alade, Teni, and Niniola were releasing at the time.
“Try Me” sharpened the picture further. The song gained traction on social media and built her an early fanbase she named the Rebel Gang, setting the template for the direct, community-first relationship she has maintained with her listeners ever since.
The People Who Saw It Early
Great artists rarely build alone. Wale “Tec” Davies, one half of Show Dem Camp, was the first to move. The moment he heard “Mr Rebel,” he reached out through a mutual friend and requested an introduction. Tems has described him as her sleeping beast, the one making sure all the serious stuff is done right, operating largely out of public view while the work speaks loudly.
Muyiwa Awoniyi, known as Donawon, came in 2019 after watching Tems repeatedly reject beats at a studio session that frustrated everyone else in the room. He saw an artist who already knew what she wanted and started managing her four months later. He has since recalled meeting her when she had only two hundred naira in her account.
Together under their management company Leading Vibe, the two have built one of the most effective teams in global music around a singular vision: let the music lead. In 2025, they were shortlisted for the Music Week Artist and Manager Awards in the UK, a recognition that confirmed what Lagos already knew years earlier. They both contribute largely to the global brand that is Tems, today.
For Broken Ears, the bed rock(2020)
By 2020, Tems was ready to put out a body of work. For Broken Ears, her debut EP, was released on September 25, 2020, produced primarily by Tems herself alongside Spax, Omeiza, and Tejiri Akpoghene. It was a self-possessed project. The songwriting was direct and emotionally precise, drawing on themes of mental strain, doubt, and quiet resilience. She even featured her mother’s voice on “Temillade Interlude,” a tribute to the woman who raised her.
The EP contained “Damages,” its lead single, and a track called “Free Mind” that would not have its full public moment until years later. But the arrival of “For Broken Ears” was the start of something important: Tems was not just like any other vocalist. She was building her own sound from the inside out, almost entirely by herself. That independent architecture would later prove more valuable than anyone anticipated. Tems’ “For Broken Ears” Crosses 800 Million Streams on Spotify
The Essence Moment (2020 to 2021)
The door to the world opened through Wizkid. Tems featured on Wizkid’s Made in Lagos on “Essence” in 2020, and the song became an instant summer hit in 2021. That is underselling it, actually. “Essence” eventually spent 27 weeks at number one on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart, tied as the second-longest-leading number one in the history of that chart with Chris Brown’s “No Guidance” featuring Drake. The Bieber remix pushed the song to number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100, marking Tems’ debut on the all-genre flagship chart. Like Wizkid said…
“Tems and I created magic 😇❤️🦅”
Afrobeats had crossed over before, but not quite like this. “Essence” was a cultural moment that introduced an entirely new audience to what Nigerian music could sound and feel like, and Tems was right at its center. She was 25 years old.
If Orange Was a Place and the Major Label Step (2021)
With her profile rising, Tems delivered her second EP. If Orange Was a Place was released on September 15, 2021 through RCA Records and her own Since ’93 imprint, produced primarily by GuiltyBeatz with additional production from Jonah Christian. Around the same time, in May 2021, she had been ranked number one on the Billboard Next Big Sound chart and number five on the Billboard Emerging Artist chart.
The EP featured “Crazy Tings” and a standout collaboration with American R&B artist Brent Faiyaz on “Found,” a song that showed her ease operating within American R&B spaces. She had written all the tracks herself. This EP confirmed that she was ready.
The Drake and Future Era (2021 to 2022)
What followed was a run of collaborations that one would expect from a verified who’s who of global music. She featured on Drake’s Certified Lover Boy cut “Fountains,” which reached number 26 on the Billboard Hot 100. Then came the bigger moment. “Wait for U” was released on May 3, 2022 as a single from Future’s album I Never Liked You, featuring Drake and built around a sample of Tems’ own “Higher” from For Broken Ears. The song debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, making Tems the first African artist to debut at the top of the chart. It later won the Grammy Award for Best Melodic Rap Performance at the 65th Grammy Awards in 2023, giving Tems her first Grammy win and making her the first Nigerian female artist to win a Grammy. “Wait for U” eventually became the first track to earn an African female artist one billion Spotify streams.
Numbers aside, the “Wait for U” era was significant for a subtler reason. Tems did not drop a verse on the song. She was sampled. The mere fact that her creative output from 2020 was valuable enough that two of the biggest rappers in the world built a number one record around it says everything about the depth of her catalogue.
Beyonce, Rihanna, and Hollywood (2022)
That same year, Tems scored a feature on Beyonce’s Renaissance on “MOVE” alongside Grace Jones, placing her on one of the most discussed albums of the decade. The Rihanna collaboration was its own category entirely. “Lift Me Up” was co-written by Tems, Rihanna, director Ryan Coogler, and composer Ludwig Goransson as a tribute to the late Chadwick Boseman for the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack. The song earned Golden Globe, Oscar, and Grammy nominations. Tems attended the 2023 Academy Awards as the co-writer of an Oscar-nominated song performed by Rihanna. She went viral at the ceremony for an extraordinarily voluminous Lever Couture gown. The internet was entertained. She, presumably, was not bothered.
Free Mind Rises, and the World Catches Up (2022 to 2023)
As her profile expanded, her older catalogue began pulling its own weight. Thanks to the triple play of “Essence,” “Fountains,” and “Wait for U,” her material experienced renewed interest, with “Free Mind” as the leading beneficiary. The song became her first solo Hot 100 entry, peaking at number 46, and spent 22 weeks at number one on Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart, breaking the female record for most weeks at number one on that chart. A track she had quietly released in 2020 was now a radio fixture two years later. That’s what happens when you have a solid catalogue that runs deep enough for listeners to return to.
Born in the Wild and the Debut Album (2024)
2024 was the year Tems stepped fully into her own spotlight. Born in the Wild, her debut studio album, was an 18-track project that secured three Grammy nominations at the 67th Grammy Awards: Best Global Music Album, Best R&B Song for “Burning,” and Best African Music Performance for “Love Me JeJe.” The latter interpolated Seyi Sodimu’s beloved 1997 Nigerian classic of the same name, hitting number one on the UK Afrobeats chart and number three on Billboard’s US Afrobeats Songs. She debuted the song at Coachella 2024, performing it as a bridge between African music past and present for a global audience at one of the world’s biggest festivals. The Born in the Wild world tour followed, selling out venues across multiple continents. Tems’ “Born In The Wild” Crosses 900 Million Streams on Spotify
Two Grammys and a Streak of Records (2025)
At the 67th Annual Grammy Awards in February 2025, Tems won Best African Music Performance for “Love Me JeJe,” defeating nominees Yemi Alade, Asake and Wizkid, Burna Boy, and Chris Brown featuring Davido and Lojay. It was her second Grammy, her first as a solo lead artist, and it made her the first Nigerian artist to win two Grammy Awards. In her acceptance speech, she thanked God, her team, and her mother, who was attending the Grammys for the first time. Around the same time, she became the first African female artist to hit one billion Spotify streams with “Wait for U,” and the first African woman to be involved in MLS ownership when she joined San Diego FC’s ownership group as a club partner.
Later in 2025, she surprise-released Love Is a Kingdom, a seven-track EP on RCA Records and Since ’93, with no extended rollout, no hype cycle, just music for the fans. It was vintage Tems: quiet confidence, maximum impact. Tems Returns with Love Is A Kingdom: A Short Masterclass in Intimacy
Raindance, the Obama Center, and a New Peak (2026)
January 2026 brought “Raindance” with British rapper Dave, a collaboration that reached number one on the UK Singles Chart, marking Tems’ first chart-topping single in the United Kingdom. With it, she officially became the first African female artist to secure seven entries on the US Billboard Hot 100. The Success Story of Dave and Tems’ “Raindance”
Then, just days before her 31st birthday, two things happened in quick succession. Love Is a Kingdom crossed 100 million streams on Spotify, making it her fourth consecutive project to hit that mark. Every major release in her catalogue has now cleared that milestone. And on June 18, 2026, one week after her birthday, she performed at the Obama Presidential Center Grand Opening Ceremony in Chicago, an invitation-only event streamed globally, sharing a stage with Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, John Legend, Christina Aguilera, Bono and The Edge, and Marc Anthony. The ceremony was timed to Juneteenth, the holiday commemorating African American freedom, adding cultural weight to what was already one of the most prestigious performance slots of 2026. Tems seals Streaming Milestone with Obama Presidential Center Performance
Who would’ve thought that a young lady who could not afford to upload her first song would ever touch these heights?
Thirty-One
The $12 story is funny now, in the way only certain struggles become funny with enough distance and enough wins between you and them. Tems herself has told it with a lightness that suggests she has fully made peace with where she started. And why wouldn’t she? Every decision she made from that point, leaving the marketing job, producing her own records, naming her fanbase, signing on her own terms, sampling her own back catalogue into a number one, has compounded into an impeccable body of work and a presence that nobody handed her.
Now, she is 31. She still produces her own music, still writes every word, still runs Since ’93, the label she named after the year she was born. The records keep coming, the stages keep getting bigger, that little girl that moved from the Uk, back to Nigeria, and abandoned marketing to chase her passion for music is now a global icon. Is Tems the Biggest Musical Export from Africa?