Grammy-winning Nigerian artist Temilade Openiyi, known as Tems, has opened up about her decision to quit her digital marketing job in order to follow her passion for music.
In an interview with Billboard, the ‘Love Me Jeje’ singer explained that although the decision wasn’t easy, she felt a strong divine calling to pursue music, believing that digital marketing was not her true calling.
Tems shared, “It got to a point where I couldn’t take it anymore. It was dawning on me that it was now or never. I had been putting it off, but I eventually developed the faith that God would see me through wherever I went. I knew deep down that digital marketing wasn’t my path, and I needed to leave right then.”
She revealed that she quit her job in January 2018, and it took about six months before she released her debut single, ‘Mr. Rabel,’ which started gaining attention. “It felt like life or death,” she continued. “I felt like this decision could either make or break my destiny. I had to choose, and I chose to quit. Thankfully, it worked out.”
Tems rose to global prominence after featuring on Wizkid’s 2020 hit, ‘Essence,’ which peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100. In 2022, she made history as the first African artist to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with Future’s ‘Wait 4 U,’ featuring Drake. The song went on to win a Grammy for Best Melodic Rap Performance. This year, Tems won another Grammy for her song ‘Love Me Jeje,’ which took home the award for Best African Music Performance.
