Nigerian female singer, Temilade Openiyi, popularly known as Tems, has finally received the plaque for her Grammy award win.
Apple’s Bite recalls that Tems won the award for Best Melodica Rap Performance at the 65th Grammys on February 6, 2023 for her contribution to Future’s ‘Wait For U’ which also featured Drake.
The singer’s manager, Muyiwa Awoniyi broke news of the plaque’s arrival on social media on Friday night.
Being the first female Nigerian artiste to win a Grammy, the curvy singer is also the first female Nigerian singer to be nominated for a Grammy award.
She was nominated in the Best Global Performance category last year for her hit song with Wizkid ‘Essence’ but lost to Pakistan’s Arooj Aftab.
Considered one of the most critically acclaimed African artistes, Tems was honored with the Prize for Music at The Future Awards Africa and the Impact Award at the BMI London Awards in recognition of her “ground-breaking artistry, creative vision and impact on the future of music”.
In 2020, Tems published her debut album For Broken Ears, promoted by the song “Damages”. The album was nominated for awards at the All Africa Music Awards and The Beatz Awards. Then she collaborated in Wizkid’s “Essence”, received critical support, being nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Global Music Performance.
The song also won several awards at the BET Awards, NAACP Image Awards, The Headies Awards and at the Soul Train Music Awards.
In 2021 Tems publisched her second studio album If Orange Was a Place, which won The Headies for Best R&B Album. She was featured in “Wait for U” with Future and Drake, which was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Rap Song and won the Best Melodic Rap Performance, an American Music Awards and a BET Hip Hop Awards.
In 2022 Tems contributed to Beyoncé’s seventh studio album Renaissance on the track “Move”, receiving nominations at the NAACP Image Awards and Soul Train Music Awards.
Apple’s Bite reports that Tems rose to prominence after being featured on Wizkid‘s 2020 single “Essence“, which peaked at number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart following the release of the remix version with Justin Bieber. The song earned her a Grammy Award nomination. That same year, she was featured on the song “Fountains” by Drake.
In 2020, Tems released her debut extended play, For Broken Ears. Then Her second extended play, If Orange Was a Place (2021), was released after she signed a record deal with RCA Records. In 2022, Tems’ vocals from her song “Higher” were sampled by Future on his single, “Wait for U“, which led to her being credited as a featured artist alongside Drake on the song. It debuted atop the Billboard Hot 100, making her the first African artist to debut at number one and the second Nigerian artist to top the chart.
The song earned her the Grammy Award for Best Melodic Rap Performance. Tems covered Bob Marley‘s “No Woman, No Cry” for the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack album in July 2022 and in the same month, her song “Free Mind” from her debut EP which debuted on the Billboard Hot 100.
Throughout her career, Tems has received many accolades, including a Grammy Award, two NAACP Image Awards, two BET Awards and two Soul Train Music Awards.
She also co-wrote the song “Lift Me Up” by Rihanna, which earned her nominations for the Academy Award for Best Original Song, and the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song.
Madukwe B. Nwabuisi is an accomplished journalist renown for his fearless reporting style and extensive expertise in the field. He is an investigative journalist, who has established himself as a kamikaze reporter.
