Nigerian Grammy-winning artist Temilade Openiyi, better known as Tems, shared a remarkable story in a recent interview with BigBoy TV: in just three days in 2020, she received messages from Beyoncé, Rihanna, and Drake. Reflecting on her rapid rise to fame, the 29-year-old recalled feeling like she was living in a dream, describing the experience as “surreal.”
Tems shared that the whirlwind began with contact from Beyoncé’s team, soon followed by direct messages from Drake and Rihanna. “It felt like something crazy was happening, like it wasn’t real,” she said. “I was alone at home in Nigeria when I got their messages, just days apart. It felt like a prank.”
Tems had initially risen to fame with her 2020 collaboration with Wizkid on the track “Essence,” recorded when she had just three songs to her name. The success of the song, combined with her EP For Broken Ears, catapulted her into the global spotlight. Since then, she has contributed to Rihanna’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack, won her first Grammy for her work on Future’s “Wait for U” featuring Drake, and released her debut album, Born In The Wild, which includes collaborations with Asake and J. Cole.
From self-producing her debut single “Mr Rebel” in 2018 to being included on Barack Obama’s summer playlist, Tems’ journey is a testament to her talent and tenacity.
