In October, Nigerian singer Tems stared at a handsome boy in the front rows of the Greek Theater in Los Angeles.
“This guy is winking at me. At least you’re confident,” he laughed as he climbed over the railing to sing directly to the guy, who said his name was Toby. “I'm going to make this special,” Tems told the crowd. “I'm going to try to freestyle your name, but you have to look me in the eyes.”
She crooned his name in a flirtatious melisma, inviting him to “tell me how you love me, it seems like you do” while he melted into a puddle. Suddenly aware of his powers, he began to laugh. “I'm shy now,” she said. “I'm not good at freestyle.”
Toby would disagree. But the moment was emblematic of a world that has fallen in love with Tems.
With striking appearances on singles like Wizkid's “Essence” and the Grammy-winning “Wait For U” featuring Future and Drake, Tems became one of the most important voices in modern African music, traversing regional sounds, R&B, hip- hop and pop. “Born in the Wild,” their 2024 debut LP, was sprawling but deeply personal, covering their wide-ranging influences with incisive and emotive songwriting.
Up for three Grammy Awards at next year's ceremony (a slew of nominations for Global Music Album, R&B Song and African Music Performance), Tems is bringing a new era of Nigerian music around the world. But this level of stardom hasn't always suited him and he has fought hard to keep peace in its midst.
“My whole mantra for 2024 has just been 'Hold On,'” Tems said, referencing the hopeful send-off song “Born in the Wild.” “In that song, I was talking to myself in the past, present and future. “It’s me encouraging myself to stay on the path, no matter what.”
The 29-year-old Lagos native, born Temilade Openiyi, is among the A-list of modern African artists, such as fellow Nigerian Burna Boy and South African Tyla, who have hit pop charts around the world. . However, it is reductive to place her only in the Afrobeats wave of recent years, as her music is equally rooted in American millennial R&B and the sophisticated modern soul scene of London, where she now lives.
In just four years, her vocal versatility and distinctive perspective as a songwriter made her a must-have for pop stars who wanted to participate in Africa's content movements. A self-taught and confident singer, songwriter, producer and engineer, Tems has a rare combination of curiosity about every important part of her music and the charisma to bring it to the world on stage. “The perfectionist in me was like, 'No one else is going to work on my voice because I'm so particular,'” Tems said. “I love altering sounds, but I don't like autotune or vocal effects, so I thought, 'Yeah, I have to do it myself.'”
When Tems performed a packed Coachella set in April, he brought out fellow Nigerian star Wizkid and Justin Bieber for a radiant version of “Essence.” Beyoncé brought her in with Grace Jones for the propulsive “MOVE,” from her club music opus “Renaissance.” When Rihanna made her (sort of) musical comeback in “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” she tapped Tems to work on the single “Lift Me Up,” nominated for both a Grammy and an Oscar.
“I've tried to write for other people, emulate their sound, but it's very difficult. They always want me to write from my own perspective,” Tems said. “They're trying to take advantage of my sound. “They are trying to be in my place.”
Tems attends the 95th Academy Awards at the Dolby Theater in 2023 in Hollywood.
(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
That sound came into full bloom on “Born in the Wild,” a panoramic 18-track document of his past and future as an artist. “Love Me JeJe,” a Grammy-nominated performance of African music, is a magic hour riff on Seyi Sodimu’s beloved late-’90s song of the same name, evoking the warmest vibes imaginable and a great reason to delve into the history of Nigerian R&B. . The hit “Me & U” is a dreamy guitar devotional, bolstered by crisp kicks and enchanting chants; “Ready” evokes the quiet storm of Sade, while “Wickedest” approaches sleazy Atlanta rap.
“Nigerians are very diverse and cultured in their tastes,” he said. “They love everything and at the same time are true to their roots. So for my first album, I thought if I wanted to put myself out there, I had to be as authentic as possible about all the things I grew up with. “These sounds made me who I am as an artist, and I couldn’t think about who was receiving them.”
Lately, though, he's had to think about it more. As her stardom rose, she's had to contend with a spotlight, from being jailed after a performance in Uganda in 2020 (she described it as “basically a setup” over permits) to wild claims in 2023 that she was pregnant with Future. . child (the two had not met in person).
A couple of songs on “Born in the Wild” allude to the dangers of new celebrities. “Burning” harkens back to '90s new jack swing to interrogate contemporary fame and how it consumes young voices. “You have your face in the magazines / How does it feel? “It’s killing me,” he sings. “These games will kill you / Don't let them decide / Sweet words are not true.”
With “Wickedest,” an album highlight, he laments that “They all want to lie, they want to fight, they want to get me / They want to kill me… When they don't really know me.”
It was a stimulating learning experience. “I think I've let it go,” Tems said. “You can't really stop other people in the Internet age, where anyone can wake up and say anything. You just have to always make sure you are validated from within.”
So far it has worked. Her resplendent fashion sense has become a hit at every award show (she's even become something of a meme for her stage-obscuring white veil at the 2023 Oscars). Her fall tour was packed and the Afrobeats wave that helped launch her career shows no signs of slowing as she remakes global pop.
However, the movement is at a crossroads at the Grammys. After inaugurating the African music performance category last year, the category is at a strange juncture, where embattled American R&B singer Chris Brown has a nomination for African music performance, while Tyla, who won the inaugural award category in February, she earned none for her own 2024 debut LP.
“The success of Afrobeats is the reason why people in other countries like to tap into the sound. But that happens in all genres,” Tems said. “It has happened to R&B, to reggae, to dancehall. At the end of the day, the Grammys are an American awards organization, but I think they are fair and do what they should do.”
Even as African artists win praise abroad, Tems is keenly aware of what is at stake for Africans around the world. He also has in mind the increasingly bleak climate for immigration in the United States and Europe. The world is a brighter place, he said, if artists and ordinary people can live and work where they aspire to: in Lagos, London or Los Angeles.
“I feel sad about what a lot of people in the world are going through right now,” he said. “The only thing I can feel is sadness and disappointment. But governments are going to be governments. I just do my best to ease the sadness whenever I can, for people living in Nigeria and in my community here. You have to do what is in your own power. If enough of us do our part, then things can change.”
