Tems

Early life and education

In high school, she was frequently bullied because of her voice. At 11 years old, she joined her school choir and soon began singing in falsetto but was noticed by her music teacher who coached her and taught her how to play the piano. Tems often practiced singing with her brother, who often accompanied her on guitar.


2018–2021: Career beginnings and extended plays

In 2018, Tems quit her job in digital marketing to pursue a career in music. She began to learn self production skills on YouTube and on July 18th, 2018, she released her debut single, "Mr Rebel", a song which she produced by herself. On 7 August 2019, she released the single "Try Me". In 2020, DJ Edu chose her as one of "ten artists to watch" that year. On 23 April 2020, Tems was featured alongside fellow Nigerian singer Davido on a reworked version of American singer-songwriter Khalid) and English electronic music duo Disclosure)'s single, "Know Your Worth".


2018–2021: Career beginnings and extended plays

On 25 September 2020, Tems released her debut extended play, For Broken Ears. It was produced primarily by her and the single "Damages)" from the EP became another follow up hit to "Try Me", peaking at number one on the Nigerian Apple Music chart and number six on the then-newly launched TurnTable Top 50 chart and garnering five million views on YouTube. On 30 October 2020, Tems was featured on fellow Nigerian singer Wizkid's single, "Essence)", from the latter's fourth studio album, Made in Lagos. The song earned her a number one spot on BBC 1Xtra Airplay Chart. and also earned her first career entry on Billboard Hot 100 at number 9. Tems won a Soul Train Music Awards, two NAACP Image Awards, and received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Global Music Performance. On 8 November 2020, Tems was included in The Future Awards Africa: Class of 2020.

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