Nigerian singer and song writer, Tems has been making the waves online and offline in recent times, following her chart topping collabs, Grammy awards win and her “annoying stratus cloud” Oscars award outfit.
Tems, whose true name is Temilade Openiyi, was born to a Nigerian mother and a British-Nigerian father in Lagos, Nigeria, in 1995.
Shortly after her birth, she and her parents relocated to the United Kingdom; however, when she was 5 years old and her parents were divorced, she and her mother went back to Nigeria.
Tems pursued her studies in economics at Johannesburg’s Monash University South Africa.
She wrote music in her free time while attending college and taught herself how to make beats by viewing YouTube videos.
In September 2020, Tems launched her debut EP “For Broken Ears,” whose lead single “Damages” topped the Nigerian Apple Music list.
She gained accolades from all over the world for her performance on Wizkid’s “Essence” the following month, getting a Grammy nomination for best global music performance. Justin Bieber was later added to the song during a revision.
Since then, she has collaborated with A-list artists like Drake, Future, and Beyoncé, but her debut album has not yet been made public.
Tems’ Grammy Awards win and multiple nominations
Tems recently won her first Grammy award following an outstanding year on the national and international music scenes.
The independent artist won her first Grammy during the 65th Grammy Awards ceremony on Sunday, February 5, 2023 at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, California, United States, following a total of four nominations.
The extraordinary singer bagged the prestigious award for her contribution to the popular song “Wait 4 U” by Future and Drake.
Tems also bagged three significant nominations in the categories of “Best Rap Song” and “Best Melodic Rap Performance.
As a featured artist on Beyonce’s “Renaissance” album, Tems was nominated for “Album Of The Year.”
Tems’ “annoying stratus cloud” Oscars outfit
“Imagine writing scripts all your life to get nominated for an Oscars, and Tems blocks you with her outfit throughout the event” An annoyed fan tweet, after photos of Tems at the 2023 Oscars award ceremony hit the internet.
The 27-year-old singer-songwriter — whose “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” track “Lift Me Up,” performed by Rihanna, was nominated for best original song — wore a white gown that wrapped around the back of her head, restricting the view of those behind and around her.
“I guess the people behind the white veil don’t get to see the show,” another disgruntled Twitter user opined.
Tems missed out on the award for best original song to “Naatu Naatu” from the Telugu-language film “RRR,” which became the first Indian film song ever to win an Oscar.
“Applause” from “Tell It Like a Woman,” “Hold My Hand” from “Top Gun: Maverick,” and “This Is a Life” from “Everything Everywhere All at Once” were also nominated.
