Temilade Openiyi, better known as Tems, a Nigerian musician, has been named one of the awardees for Billboard’s annual Women in Music Awards.
The “women in music” event recognizes women from diverse music professions in many categories. Tems will be acknowledged as Billboard’s Women In Music Breakthrough Artist recipient for the year.
In an interview ahead of the award presentation on Wednesday, the singer discussed her musical journey and collaborations with prominent artists such as Beyonce, Drake, and Rihanna, among others.
When asked about her music, Tems confirms that her album will be out this year.
“It is 1,000% coming out this year.”
Some young African artists, notably Grammy-winning South African artist Tyla, have publicly expressed how much Tems’ ascent to popularity has influenced them.
However, the singer downplayed this in her reaction to Billboard:
“I’m not sure if I’ll ever be aware of the influence my tale has, but it’s encouraging to know that I’ve inspired others because I’m motivated by others as well. It simply inspires me to keep going.”
She rose to notoriety after being featured on Wizkid’s 2020 single “Essence”, which peaked at number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart with the release of the remix version with Justin Bieber.
Tems will get her honor and perform at the Billboard Women In Music Awards presentation on March 7 at the YouTube Theatre in Los Angeles.
