Tems, a Grammy Award winner, recently spoke with a media presenter about her difficult journey to stardom. The talented Nigerian songstress discussed one of her painful experiences as an upcoming artiste in the online trending video.
In response to a question from a young broadcaster, Tems stated that many producers refused to produce for her when she was still a rising star. Despite the rejections from recording companies and producers, Tems turned the situation into an opportunity to learn music production and began producing her own songs.
Looking at her current career status, it is evident she made the right decision – she never gave up her passion for music, but rather added more skill and energy to her creative acts.
“Apart from singing and songwriting, you are also a producer. So how did you begin to explore producing music?” she was asked.
“No one wanted to produce for me back then, and so I said, ‘you know what, I can do this myself.’ So I was like, yeah, and it made me create my sounds. If no one will do it for you, you do it yourself,” Tems responded.
She also advised aspiring musicians to persevere and work hard in order to achieve their goals. Her experience is similar to that of many talented upcoming musicians in Nigeria, with the majority of them failing to realize their dreams.
For new artists, the Nigerian music industry can be quite difficult. Most music youngsters are overwhelmed with several challenges, ranging from stiff competition to the high cost of producing music (audio and video), rejections from record labels, and deceptive and unfavorable treatment from recording companies and promotion companies.
Tems received a Grammy Award for Best Melodic Rap Performance in February 2023 for her contribution to Future’s song “Wait For U.” She also won Best Female MVP at the Soundcity MVP Award 2023 that month.
On September 25, 2020, she released her debut seven-track EP titled “For Broken Ears,” and on September 15, 2021, she released her second – a five-track EP titled “If Orange Was a Place.”
