From Try Me To The Grammys: A Highlight of Tems’ Journey So Far

Tems has been on a blazing trail since her feature on Wizkid’s Essence. The star, who debuted on the Lagos Alte music scene in 2018 with her distinct deep voice and cutting songwriting, soon gathered a humble following not long after. In the years since her breakout song Try Me, she and her team have consistently racked up wins locally and internationally. Currently one of the most sought-after female acts, Tems has captivated the world not only with her talent, but also with her aura that keeps the audience intrigued.

It has been very thrilling to see her amass her accolades even without a debut album. Today, we celebrate Tems’ success with notable moments in her career so far.

Tems’ debut

After quitting an unfulfilling 9 to 5 job, Tems introduced herself to Nigeria’s alte scene with Mr Rebel in 2018. Mr Rebel, a sound different from the usual mainstream music like the catchy upbeat songs sung by popular artists like Tiwa Savage and Yemi Alade, was RnB music at its finest. Tems performed the track at shows like Show Dem Camp’s Palmwine Festival where her music gathered fans who were glad to spread the word about her talent and distinct voice. 

Aiming to have a steady presence in the industry, Tems released more music in 2019, one of which was Try Me. Tems’ vocals, coupled with the fiery lyrics of the song, invoked a wave of strength and power; Try Me was an explosion of raw emotions and a conviction to be unstoppable. The song, which showed what it meant to have an unwavering belief in yourself, with a sweet ‘fuck you’ message to challengers, was an instant hit. 

Essence

Tems’ ascent skyrocketed from her feature on Wizkids’ Essence. Both artists on the track were a match made in musical heaven. Wizkid’s alluring and easy-flowing style, mixed with Tems’ mesmerizing depth, created a perfect blend, making  Essence the love song we didn’t know we needed. 

From then, her talent and distinct tone became undeniable to more people beyond the rebel gang. The song was unarguably the soundtrack of summer 2021, but the success of Essence did not end there. It went on to be the first Nigerian song in history to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 and the Billboard Global 200.

Essence garnered more attention with a remix that featured Justin Bieber and received a Grammy nomination for Best Global Music Performance. The song received multiple awards and nominations: a Soul Train Music Award for Best Collaboration in 2021, BET Award for Best Collaboration in 2022, Headies Award for Best Recording of the Year. 

Following Essence’s success, the streets were abuzz with talks of Tem’s mastery and delivery in the song, which led people to her catalogue of releases and revealed that there was more to her than Essence. 

Wait For U

In 2020, Tems released her first EP For Broken Ears. The EP housed 7 beautiful songs, one of which was an interlude of her mother narrating the story behind Tems’ name and her being a “special baby”. Her mother knew from her birth that Tems was destined for great things. While all parents have this conviction, Tems’ quickly manifested in her collaboration with the American rapper Future. Future’s Wait For U was a sample of Tems’s song Higher, a song on her 2020 EP. Although Essence had introduced Tems to the American audience, her voice on Wait for U was a whole different vibe. It broke her into a wider music industry with a solid affiliation with its audience. Higher paved the way for her to the 2023 Grammys, as there is no Wait For U without Higher.

Renaissance Album

Mid July 2022, Beyonce released the tracklist for her Album Renaissance crediting Tems on one of her songs, which left Twitter in shock. Tems contributed to writing and performing Move, a fun and rhythmic​​ track on the album.

Beyonce, who is a powerhouse of excellence and artistic perfection, is renowned for putting immense effort into her craft which also translates with the people she collaborates with. A track with Beyonce is easily an acknowledgement of greatness. So early in her career, Tems received this recognition from Queen Bey herself. 

Marvel Entertainment 

A few days after Tems’ credit on Renaissance, Marvel released the teaser for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, delighting fans (once again) to hear Tems’ voice. July 2020 was truly a blessed month for Tems and her fans.

She executed a beautiful and spirited rendition of No Woman no Cry, originally sung by Bob Marley and the Wailers. Her fans knew good things were coming, but no one imagined it would be in quick succession. 

When Tems and Rihanna were seen together at Rihanna’s Savage x Fenty show in Los Angeles, many were hopeful for a collaboration between the two, to break Rihanna’s hiatus from the music industry. This collaboration came in a more magical form with Lift Me Up written by Tems and performed by Rihanna for Marvel’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. With this iconic collaboration, Tems’ showed range, and that her brilliance is in her songwriting as well as her vocals. 

Grammy

The latest achievement under Tems’ belt is a Grammy Award for her contribution to Future’s Wait for U. The track was nominated for 2 awards, Best Rap Song and Best Melodic Rap Performance. Wait for U won the Best Melodic Rap Performance. 

It goes without saying that Tems has had more notable moments in her career than those mentioned above. Her success is not isolated to these events or whatever the audience perceives. Multiple times, she and her team have credited all her achievements to God. “The God of Tems” is a phrase many now use as a response (or prayer) whenever news breaks of a major announcement that involves Tems.

With a Grammy already under her legendary belt in less than a decade since she debuted on the music scene, and the enthralling singer and songwriter steadily exceeding expectations, no one truly knows what heights Tems will reach, but we are here for all of it.