24th May, 2024
By Taiwo Okanlawon
Grammy-winning Nigerian singer Temilade Openiyi, also known as Tems has revealed how a “serious illness” forced her to delay the release of her debut album.
In an interview with the New York Times, the ‘You and Me’ hitmaker said her debut album was originally scheduled for release in 2021 — at about the same time she put out her second EP ‘If Orange Was a Place’.
Though she did not specify what type of illness she battled, Tems said she had to undergo surgery and a six-month recovery phase.
“Being a warrior is about not giving up. Even if they cut your leg, you walk on your knees, you fight on your knees using what you have and that’s good enough,” she said.
In February 2023, the songstress won her first-ever Grammy award.
She bagged the ‘Best Melodic Rap Performance’ category for her role in ‘Wait for U’, the 2022 hit song by Future featuring Drake.
In March, the singer was honoured with a ‘Breakthrough Award’ at the 2024 Billboard Women in Music Awards.
Tems’ highly anticipated debut album ‘Born In The Wild’ will be released in June.
The singer released her self-produced debut single ‘Mr Rebel’ in 2018 and then followed it with ‘Try Me’, her 2019 hit song.
Tems started to gain popularity in 2020, courtesy of her collaboration with Wizkid on the song ‘Essence’.
In the same year, she released her debut extended play (EP) ‘For Broken Ears’.