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Tems (Temilade Openiyi), born June 11, 1995, is a Grammy-winning Nigerian singer, songwriter, and producer known for her distinct alt-R&B and Afrobeats sound. Rising to fame with "Mr. Rebel" (2018) and "Essence" (2020), she has collaborated with top artists like Drake and Future. She is a trailblazer, becoming the first Nigerian female artist to win a Grammy. Born in England, and raised there for her first few years, at four years old, Temilade moved back to Lagos with her mother and brother following her parents’ divorce.
Accosted with this familial uprooting at such a young age, left her archives of fond childhood memories bare, and forced Tems to grow up much quicker than many of her peers did. Home didn’t feel like home, thanks to her “horrible” stepdad, and school wasn’t any better. “I wasn’t a cool kid, I wasn’t popular, at least not for good things,” she remembers. “I used to cry a lot, and people used to call me names. I didn’t have friends so I spent a lot of time in the music room to practise singing. I didn’t like using my real voice, so I would sing really soft. I thought my real voice was ugly and it was too loud. I wanted to sound like other girls whose voices were really soft and flowery.” But amidst the unrelenting bullying from her peers and teachers alike, Tems found an unlikely mentor who would offer her a place of refuge.
