OPENIYI
Temilade
(Tems)

• 1. Early life
• 2. Career
• 2.1. 2018–2019: Career beginnings, Mr Rebel and Try Me
• 2.2. 2020–present: For Broken Ears and If Orange Was a Place

Temilade Openiyi (Tems) is a Nigerian singer, songwriter, and record producer. She rose to prominence when two of her songs reached the top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2021, her collaboration with Drake on the song "Fountains" from his album Certified Lover Boy, and the Wizkid single "Essence"; the latter of which reached the top ten following a remix with Justin Bieber, and earned her a Grammy Award nomination.

In the same year, Tems was ranked number one on the Billboard Next Big Sound chart and number-five on the Billboard Emerging Artists chart. In September 2021, Tems was signed to RCA records, and released her second EP If Orange Was a Place, which reached the top ten on the Billboard World Albums chart. In May 2022, Tems' song, "Higher", from her debut extended play, For Broken Ears (2020) was sampled on the single "Wait For U" by Future alongside Drake, leading her to be credited as a featured artist. The song debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, making her the first African artist to debut at number one, and the second Nigerian artist to top the chart.

Throughout her career, she has received multiple award nominations, while winning two NAACP Image Awards, and a Soul Train Music Awards.

Early life

Temilade Openiyi was born on 11 June 1995 in Lagos, Nigeria. Born to a Nigerian mother and a British-Nigerian father, Tems family moved to the United Kingdom shortly after birth. Her parents divorced when she was five. Tems relocated to Nigeria with her mother, they resided in Ilupeju before moving to Lekki then Ajah. Tems attended Dowen College before proceeding to South Africa for her Tertiary education. At school, she was noticed by her music teacher and learned to play the piano. She practiced singing with her brother's guitar accompaniment.

Career

2018–2019: Career beginnings, Mr Rebel and Try Me

In 2018, Tems quit her job to pursue a career in music. On 18 July 2018, she released her debut single, "Mr Rebel". On 7 August 2019, she released the single "Try Me". In 2020, DJ Edu chose her as one of "ten artists to watch" that year. On 23 April 2020, Tems was featured alongside fellow Nigerian singer Davido on a reworked version of American singer-songwriter Khalid and English electronic music duo Disclosure's single, "Know Your Worth".

2020–present: For Broken Ears and If Orange Was a Place

On 25 September 2020, Tems released her debut extended play, For Broken Ears. It was produced primarily by her and the single "Damages" from the EP became another follow up hit to "Try Me", peaking at number one on the Nigerian Apple Music chart and number six on the then-newly launched TurnTable Top 50 chart and garnering five million views on YouTube. On 30 October 2020, Tems was featured on fellow Nigerian singer Wizkid's single, "Essence", from the latter's fourth studio album, Made in Lagos. The song earned her a number one spot on BBC 1Xtra Airplay Chart. and also earned her first career entry on Billboard Hot 100 at number 9. Tems won a Soul Train Music Awards, two NAACP Image Awards, and received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Global Music Performance. On 8 November 2020, Tems was included in The Future Awards Africa: Class of 2020. On 13 August 2021, a reworked version of "Essence", which contains an additional feature from Canadian singer Justin Bieber, was released, which propelled the song to reach number nine on the Billboard Hot 100. On 3 September 2021, Tems was featured on Canadian rapper and singer Drake's song, "Fountains", from the latter's sixth studio album, Certified Lover Boy, which debuted at number 26 on the Hot 100. On 15 September 2021, Tems released her second extended play, If Orange Was a Place. It was primarily produced by GuiltyBeatz, and the single "Crazy Tings" was released five days before and peaked at number three on the UK Afrobeats Singles Chart. On 29 April 2022, Tems was featured alongside Drake on American rapper Future's single, "Wait for U", from the latter's ninth studio album, I Never Liked You. The song debuted atop the Hot 100, making her the first African female artist to top the chart and more so debut atop the chart. The song samples the song "Higher" from For Broken Ears.