By Ejiofor Toochi
Popular Nigerian artist, Temilade Openiyi aka Tems has revealed that she was ready to make the ultimate sacrifice when she decided to establish herself as an R&B artist rather than pursuing Afrobeats.
Tems made a choice to go against the popular trend of Afrobeats in Nigeria’s music industry. She prioritized her own message, not caring about conforming or becoming someone specific.
She made this known to American rapper, Kendrick Lamar, in a recent interview for Interview Magazine.
READ ALSO: I don’t take it for granted: Tems breaks silence after Grammy win, shows a gratitude
The Grammy-winning artist said, “I was prepared to die. I believed in myself so much that I didn’t really care if I never became anything or anyone. I just wanted to get a message out. I wanted to get my frequency out.
“And I was like, “Even if ten people hear this, it’s fine.” But also along the way, I used to listen to a lot of Nigerian music and I wasn’t getting a lot of spiritual—I love Celine Dion, so, I love that intense feeling of, I’m about to jump off a cliff. That’s how I want my music to feel all the time, and Afrobeats wasn’t necessarily giving me that type of stimulation.”
Tems speaks on advice she received
The “Higher” crooner shared that everyone she sought advice from urged het to do Afrobeats saying, “The only way you can do this is Afrobeats. It’s not that your music is bad, it’s just that it doesn’t fit in Nigeria. Nigerians don’t like this.”
“And that’s not a lie, and it’s not a bad thing. But I felt in my heart that that’s okay. I’m okay with no one liking it, I just want to make this music. I want to make music that makes me pull my heart out, and if I can’t do that, I don’t want anything. I would rather do that and be broke than compromise. I didn’t really care about the money. It’s not that money is bad. Money is very good. But for me, even right now, I’m chasing a frequency.”
She concluded that by staying true to herself and doing what she wanted, she ended up meeting people who truly connected with her music.
READ ALSO: Oscars awards 2023: Tems loses out; Nigerians react to her dress
