Tems Reveals She Was Uncomfortable With Fame Despite Her Music Success

Grammy-winning Nigerian singer Temilade Openiyi, popularly known as Tems, has opened up about her early struggles with fame, revealing that she never wanted to live under constant public attention.

Speaking on an episode of The Boost Podcast, the singer said she deliberately tried to keep her identity private after gaining recognition through her music.

Tems explained that even when fans began recognising her in public, she sometimes denied being the person they believed she was because she wanted to maintain a private life away from the spotlight.

According to the singer, she was initially afraid of the level of attention that came with becoming a successful artiste and hoped she could continue living what she described as her “secret life” while pursuing music.

She recalled encounters at airports where people would identify her as Tems, but she would deny it because she was uncomfortable with being recognised and approached by strangers.

However, as her popularity continued to grow, Tems said she eventually had to accept that staying anonymous was no longer possible and began adjusting to life in the public eye.

Before pursuing music full-time, Tems worked as a digital marketer but left the job in 2018 to focus on her music career. She released her debut single, Mr Rebel, that same year.

Her career reached a major turning point after she was featured on Wizkid’s 2020 hit song Essence, which helped introduce her music to a much wider international audience.