Popular singer, Temilade Openiyi, popularly known as Tems, has shared the story behind her transition from working 9-5 to becoming a Grammy Award winner.
She recently described her decision to quit her corporate job as a deeply spiritual move that was inspired by faith.
Speaking during an interview with Billboard, Tems revealed that January 2018 marked a turning point in her life because that was when she decided to officially resign from her digital marketing role and focus on her music career.
Temilade shared that she was already aware that digital marketing was not her path after praying about it, but deciding to drop the guaranteed pay to take a chance with her music still felt like a life-or-death situation.
According to her, it was a decision that had the potential to make or break her destiny, so she is grateful to God that she does not have any cause to regret it 7 years later.
“It got to a point where I couldn’t take it anymore. It was really dawning on me like, it’s now or never. I was just putting it off until I developed faith that God will see me through wherever I go.
Spiritually, I was aware that digital marketing wasn’t my path… It felt really like life or death. It was like this can make or break your destiny,” she said.
After almost six months of existing without a job, Tems dropped her debut single titled “Mr Rebel,” which started to attract decent attention that laid the foundation for her music career.
Her bold choice eventually paid off in 2020 when she gained local and international recognition for her feature on Wizkid’s hit song, “Essence,” which climbed as far as No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
It was icing on the cake when the singer won a Grammy award early this year for “Best African Music Performance.” Her groovy single titled “Love Me Jeje” was responsible for a memorable moment that solidified Tems’ position as a force to be reckoned with globally.
Folami David is a dynamic journalist who views the world through an analytical lens, translating complex narratives across multiple industries into compelling stories. With an insatiable appetite for information and a keen eye for emerging trends, Folami specializes in uncovering the interconnections between technology, business, culture, and society.
