30th August, 2023
By Jennifer Eluemelem
Nigerian singer and songwriter Temilade Openiyi, better known as Tems, has joined the African Giant, Burna Boy, in his latest rant about Afrobeat originality.
The Oscar-nominated artist has asked other artistes in the music industry to remember why they started music in the first place.
She said, “you have to remember how you felt when you started as an artist, to understand the reason you’re doing what you’re doing.”
Although she understood that the need to make a name for oneself was a driving force, music had to go beyond that, and they needed to remember that they started music because they had a story to share with the world.
This is coming just days after Burna Boy said that Afrobeats had no flavour because artistes didn’t have any experience flavouring their music.
He bemoaned that the afrobeats genre lacks lyrical substance, stressing that it was “just a great time.”
She said this while discussing her newfound fame in a newly released conversation with Kendrick Lamar for Interview magazine.
Tems said, “Yes, it’s to be seen, or to make a name for yourself, but beyond that, why are you doing it? Most of the time, it’s because you have a story to share, a message to give.”
Tems has since built a name for herself since she released her’ For Broken Ears’ EP in 2020.
She has since surpassed one billion streams on Spotify, appeared on the soundtrack to Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and scored collaborations with artists like Drake and Beyonce.
She also co-wrote Rihanna’s Lift Me Up, which went on to score an Oscar nomination.
She is currently working on her debut album.