FWC: How Nigerian artiste, Tems stole the spotlight

Temilade Openiyi, known as Tems, a 30-year-old Nigerian R&B and Afrobeats singer, made history on Sunday by performing at the first-ever FIFA halftime show.

Tems sang during the halftime of the final match of the first FIFA Club World Cup, which took place at MetLife Stadium in New York, USA.

The match was between Chelsea (from the English Premier League) and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) (from the French Ligue 1).

Tems led the halftime performance, which was presented by Panini, alongside international stars J Balvin, Doja Cat, and Emmanuel Kelly.

This event was special because, for the first time, a FIFA stadium was turned into a large concert venue at half time.

A special stage was built in the upper stands so the performance wouldn’t affect the football pitch.

Tems became well known in 2020 after working with Wizkid on the hit song “Essence,” which reached number nine on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States.

A remix of the song featuring Justin Bieber helped her gain global fame and even earned her a Grammy nomination.

That same year, she also appeared on “Fountains,” a song by Canadian rapper Drake, further boosting her popularity.

PM News  reported that 81,118 people attended the final the highest attendance ever for a FIFA match. Former U.S. President Donald Trump was also present at the stadium.