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Who is Tems, the voice of alternative R’n’B acclaimed by Justin Bieber and Tyla?
From Lagos to global stardom, Tems, 30, has firmly established herself as one major voice in R’n’B music. Shortly after the release of her album Born in the Wild last year, her new EP Love Is a Kingdom does confirm her musical talent.
By Alexis Thibault.
The meteoric rise of singer Tems
In the mid-1990s, the city of Lagos pulsed to the rhythms of afrobeat, gospel, and international R’n’B. The Nigerian capital proved to be a fertile ground for the young singer and songwriter Temilade Openiyi to make her debuts, dissecting the harmonies of Lauryn Hill’s melodies. By the end of her teenage years, the artist had yet to adopt the stage name Tems, but she was already composing solo.
It wasn’t until 2020 and the release of her debut EP For Broken Ears that the world truly discovered her sultry, warm voice. The track Essence (2020), a duet with fellow artist Wizkid, became the first Nigerian song to break into the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100. Tems had shattered a glass ceiling, and from there, things began to move quickly. Her rise has since been described by the international press as both inevitable and historic.
A singer inspired by R’n’B musc and Yoruba spirituality
Tems’ music is built on a rare blend – a velvety voice with soulful inflections, raw, unfiltered songwriting, and minimal production. The artist is drawing her inspiration as much from experimental R’n’B as from the Yorubas’ spiritual images, a people from West Africa. Beneath the surface, one can hear the echo of bàtá and dùndún drums, the architects of ceremonial, winding rhythms from southwestern Nigeria, where music, dance, and ritual are one. This oral tradition, which runs from Lagos to Havana, flows into rumba, candomblé, afrobeat… And in Tems’ work, it is translated into a pop mysticism with disarming modernity.
In 2022, she contributed to the soundtrack of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever with a stunning cover of Bob Marley’s No Woman, No Cry. Her debut album Born in the Wild (2024) followed, earning a wave of critical acclaim. Eighteen tracks filled with emotional tension, collaborations with J. Cole and Asake, and a message she sums up as “a transformation from a cocoon to a butterfly.” The album was nominated in three categories at the Grammy Awards, “Best Global Music Album,” “Best African Music Performance” and “Best R&B Song.” Meanwhile, her track Love Me Jeje (2024) reached over 5.8 million streams in just a few weeks.
A bold new EP titled Love Is a Kingdom
Tems is now filling venues around the globe. From the Apollo Theatre in London to two sold-out nights at Paris’s Olympia and major festivals like Glastonbury and Coachella, where she invited Wizkid and Justin Bieber to join her on stage. On November 21st, 2025, she released Love Is a Kingdom, a seven-track EP she fully produced, wrote, and composed on her own. A radical move, instantly praised by critics. The EP navigates layers of consciousness, inner fractures, and a rekindled sense of faith.
And the industry has taken notice. Barack Obama featured her tracks in his August 2024 playlist. Tyla, Future, and Drake collaborated with her. Fifty million streams, a growing presence in fashion – she was spotted at the latest Dior, Courrèges, and Jacquemus shows – and even a surprising foray into sports with the American football club San Diego FC… Tems is making her ambitions crystal clear. She intends to reshape the influence of African stars on culture worldwide.
Love Is a Kingdom (2025) by Tems is available now.
