Tems may not have much left to prove, but the outcome of her debut album could ultimately shape her legacy.
Ever since her breakthrough into the mainstream in 2018, Tems has experienced a meteoric rise to stardom. The Nigerian singer and songwriter released her self-produced debut single, ‘Mr. Rebel,’ shortly after leaving her job to pursue a music career. This bold move not only kickstarted her illustrious journey but also cultivated a dedicated fan base now known as the ‘Rebel Gang.’
The following year, she graced us with the stirring ‘Try Me,’ a track that captivated a wider audience and earned her rave reviews. In 2020, she released her debut EP ‘For Broken Eyes,’ which she primarily produced. The lead single ‘Damages’ became another hit and peaked at number one on the Nigerian Apple Music chart, amassing five million YouTube views by the end of the year.
INTERNATIONAL TEMS
That same year, she scored a feature on Wizkid’s international smash hit ‘Essence’ off his ground-breaking album, Made in Lagos. The song went on to have a Justin Bieber remix the following year, 2021 and peaked at number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100. Earning her first Grammy Award nomination.
Her second EP, If Orange Was a Place, was released after she signed a record deal with RCA Records. Ghanaian producer GuiltyBeatz primarily produced the EP with additional production from Jonah Christian and Brent Faiyaz as the only guest artist.
She was featured by Drake on ‘Fountain’ on his 2021 album ‘Certified Lover Boy’. In 2022, she went on to be featured on Future’s smash-hit ‘Wait For U’ alongside Drake which debuted at the top of the Billboard Hot 100, making her the first African artist to debut at number one and the second Nigerian artist to top the chart. The song earned her a Grammy Award for Best Melodic Rap Performance.
Tems was announced as a guest artist on Beyoncé’s album Renaissance, collaborating on the song “Move” with Grace Jones, which went on to be her fifth entry on the Hot 100. In the same year she covered Bob Marley‘s “No Woman, No Cry” for the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack album in July 2022 and in the same month, her song “Free Mind” from her debut EP which debuted on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 46 and breaking the female record for longest charting number one song on R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart.
She also co-wrote the song “Lift Me Up” by Rihanna, which earned her nominations for the Academy Award for Best Original Song, the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song and the Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media.
TIMELINE OF THE DEBUT ALBUM
Conversations about Tems’ debut album are certainly not new; she initially hinted at plans for a 2022 release on X (formerly Twitter) in 2021. This revelation came during a Q&A session with her fans on Thursday, the 9th of September 2021, just a day before the release of ‘Crazy Tings.’
While Tems maintained a relatively low profile regarding the album for most of the year, an interested fan took to Twitter to inquire about the status of the debut studio album. They wanted to know when the serial award-winning songstress would be releasing it after a successful 2022. Responding, Tems wrote, “Next Year! 💯🥇”.
2023 was a year of accolades for Tems, from her nomination at the 2023 Golden Globe Awards for “Best Original Song — Motion Picture” for “Lift Me Up” from the film Black Panther: Wakanda Forever to her Grammy Award for Best Melodic Rap Performance for “Wait for U. Making her the first female Nigerian artiste to win a Grammy Award. Tems was invited to fashion’s biggest night out, the Met Gala.
With so much activity outside of music, the conversations about the album went under the radar as she didn’t release music for most of the year, however, in the last quarter, Tems returned with “Me & U“, her first solo output since If Orange Was a Place, excluding her cover of Bob Marley‘s “No Woman, No Cry“. Three months later Tems released her second single of the year, “Not an Angel“. Both singles were met with favourable reviews and a great reception.
Me & U peaked at number 1 on the UK Afrobeats Singles Chart and number 34 on the UK Singles Chart while in the United States, it reached number 10 on Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart while Not an Angel peaked at No. 9 on the US Billboard World Digital Song Sales,[14] No. 23 on the US Hot R&B Songs chart and No. 28 on the New Zealand Hot Singles chart.
born in the wild
2 years, 7 months, 6 days after her initial tease via X, Tems officially announced her debut album Born in the Wild on April 15, a day after her Coachella performance.
The singer-songwriter posted a one-minute visual teasing her album, which initially announced to be released in May, before revealing a new date June 7 for the full-length via RCA/Since ’93. The clip presumably shows scenes from back home, with children running around the beach that evoke memories from Tems’ childhood.
Expectations for Tems’ debut album have been building for almost 3 years. Already released singles have now given us a glimpse of what the singer is set to deliver.
THE tracklist & tour
The Grammy-winner revealed an expansive world tour in support of the upcoming album. From mid-June, the singer will perform in venues across five continents, starting off at London’s Eventim Apollo. Tems will traverse through Europe until mid-July, then run through North America from late August to early October. On the North American dates, she will be supported by Canadian R&B songbird Naomi Sharon and Nigerian American singer Lekan on select dates.
THE COMPETITION
As we await Tems’ debut release this Friday, her team is likely aware of the various competitors around her. For the first time since the ‘Afrobeats to the World’ movement gained global momentum, three female leads are taking center stage in a male-dominated arena. The meteoric rise of the Southern African Grammy-winning sensation Tyla, and the strong reception of the latest Mavins global export Ayra Starr, have placed them at the forefront as custodians of Africa’s biggest export, Afrobeats.
Tyla
Tyla’s rise to fame is a testament to her perseverance and talent. After years of hard work, she achieved significant success with her single “Water,” which peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100, making her the highest-charting African female solo musician in Billboard history. The song also went viral on TikTok, further boosting her popularity. The song earned Tyla the inaugural Grammy Award for Best African Music Performance at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards.
Her debut album, Tyla, released in March 2024, was met with critical acclaim, with many critics praising the versatility of the music genres featured. The album experienced commercial success internationally, debuting at number 24 on the U.S. Billboard 200 as well as within the top 20 in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Norway, New Zealand, and Switzerland, earning 24,000 album-equivalent units in its first week, and making the album the highest-charting album on the Billboard 200 chart by a female African soloist in the chart history.
Tyla is widely recognized as the face of Afrobeats, establishing herself as a formidable competitor among fellow African artists such as Ayra Starr and Tems. Having previously held the record for over 30 million monthly listeners on Spotify, a record that has since been surpassed by Ayra Starr, Tyla’s influence continues to grow, breaking barriers and setting new standards for African music on the global stage. With each accomplishment, Tyla solidifies her status as a trailblazing icon, inspiring a new generation of artists.
Ayra Starr
Ayra Starr, the Nigerian-born singer-songwriter, has swiftly risen to prominence with her unique sound and magnetic presence. At just 19, she burst onto the scene with her debut EP in 2021, which earned her critical acclaim, fostering a devoted fanbase and establishing her as one of Africa’s most promising talents. The Mavin superstar went on to release her debut studio album, titled “19 & Dangerous,” the same year, which went on to give us the hit single “Bloody Samaritan.“
Ayra’s career reached new heights with the release of “Rush” as part of the deluxe edition of her album ’19 & Dangerous’. The track not only charted impressively in multiple countries but also broke records, becoming the most streamed solo song by a Nigerian female artist on Spotify. It catapulted Ayra to the forefront as the youngest African female artist to surpass 100 million views on a single YouTube video. Additionally, “Rush” earned her a notable nomination at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards for Best African Music Performance, marking a significant milestone in her career, despite ultimately losing to Tyla.
With her recently released sophomore album, ‘The Year I Turned 21,‘ and a freshly inked deal with Mavin-Republic Records partnership (as a part of a larger deal with Universal Music Group) Ayra Starr is armed with ample firepower for the competitive arena. She recently shattered the record for the most monthly listeners, currently at 31.4 million (at the time of writing), a milestone previously held by Tyla.
VERDICT
Tems may not have much left to prove, but the outcome of her debut album could ultimately shape her legacy. With numerous accolades from her two individual extended plays, in addition to collaborations with some of the biggest artists in the world, she already commands attention on a global scale, having achieved stardom and established a significant presence in the US market, where she holds a distinct advantage over her competition. However, with her debut album, she has the opportunity to dispel any lingering doubts about her global reputation and cement her lasting impact on the music industry.