“Temilade, what did you add in your stew?” There's a common theme to the online mystique surrounding Tems, the 27-year-old artist who has spent the last few years collecting industry accolades, big-hitter features and international fandoms like infinity stones. “I need Tems’ prayer,” is another popular online response when the latest news from the Lagos, Nigeria native spreads across Diasporic Twitter. And having been tapped for collaborations by a who's-who of the world's biggest artists – Beyoncé, Drake, Future, Wizkid, Justin Bieber, Khalid and most recently Rihanna – it's no wonder that the masses are in awe of one of our generation's fastest-rising stars.
Sitting across from me in a private lounge at 180 Strand, Tems tends to agree that her path has been peppered with a certain divine providence, smiling as she testifies, “God is in charge of my life, he's my A&R.” But having transformed opportunity into record-breaking firsts for an African artist – both in the US Billboard charts and in overall global streaming numbers – Tems is spinning her own strand of auditory gold in the current rush for the cultural zeitgeist of the continent.
Today, however, cloaked in a dark, metallic fit, Tems’ vibe is more reminiscent of onyx or something intergalactic, plucked from the future-pop ether. At first, she's warm but watchful, wrapping her hands in her long mesh sleeves as she talks in soft, short ellipses, but the magnetism she commands across the table with her searingly direct stare and knee-high platform boots suggest her initial quiet is one of intense inner calm, not shyness.
The first time Tems and I spoke was It was an exhilaratingly heart-wrenching introduction to an original new voice.
