Award-winning Nigerian singer Temilade Openiyi, popularly known as Tems, has opened up about her remarkable rise and how her success has far exceeded anything she once imagined.
During a recent interactive session with fans on X, a follower asked the Love Me Jeje hitmaker what she is currently looking forward to, and whether she has achieved the dreams she had before fame.
Tems responded with gratitude and reflection, saying:
“I’m looking forward to whatever the Lord has in store and honestly I’ve achieved beyond my dreams from when I had a 9-5.”
Before stepping fully into music, Tems worked a regular 9-to-5 job as a digital marketer. She quit in January 2018 to pursue her passion, releasing her debut single ‘Mr Rebel’ later that year a track that gained notable attention and set her on the path to stardom.
Her breakthrough came in 2020 when she was featured on Wizkid’s global smash hit ‘Essence’. The song became a worldwide anthem, eventually peaking at number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 following the Justin Bieber remix.
From there, Tems’ rise became nothing short of historic. In 2023, she became the first female Afrobeats artist to win a Grammy, winning Best Melodic Rap Performance for her contribution to Future and Drake’s hit ‘Wait For U’.
She added another milestone in 2025, taking home the Grammy Award for Best African Music Performance making her the only Nigerian artist with multiple Grammy wins.
Her songwriting talent has also earned global recognition. Tems received both Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for co-writing Rihanna’s emotional soundtrack ‘Lift Me Up’ for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
From leaving a 9-to-5 job to becoming one of the most influential voices in global music, Tems’ journey continues to inspire fans around the world and according to her, the best is still yet to come.
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