- Tems has made history and gained international recognition once again as her debut album, Born In the Wild has been widely accepted.
- The singer’s album ranked number two on Billboard’s Best R&B albums of 2024, a feat which saw only Tems as the African and Nigerian to make the list.
Nigerian music sensation Temilade Openiyi, better known as Tems continues to hit new career milestones in the United States, where her debut album, ‘Born In The Wild,’ is ranked among Billboard’s best R&B albums of 2024.
Since attaining international success, Tems has been one of the most thriving African artistes globally with her music winning her millions of fans and notable awards.
In another impressive feat, Tems is the only African artiste on the list that also has albums from Chris Brown, Party Next Door, Muni Long, and Bryson Tiller.
Speaking on Tems’ music, Billboard describes it as one that cannot be catch-all into the Afrobeats tag as her songs travel far beyond the African continent. It read:
“The Nigerian star finds her footing in the global spotlight and stands firmly in her purpose on her dazzling debut album Born in the Wild.
She opens up about surviving her mental wilderness and learning to thrive in it on the opening acoustic ballad that shares the album’s title.
And on the mid-tempo standout “Burning,” Tems confronts the trappings of her newfound stardom but finds comfort in the collective struggle. As someone who’s studied Céline Dion, Destiny’s Child, and Mariah Carey and dreamt of making soul-stirring songs that send people into their feelings, Tems succeeded with aplomb.
Born in the Wild became her highest-charting project on Top R&B Albums (reaching No. 5) and marked her career-first entry on the Billboard 200, peaking at No. 56.
And while Born in the Wild and “Love Me JeJe” earned Tems 2025 Grammy nominations for Best Global Music Album and Best African Music Performance, respectively, her best R&B song nod for “Burning” further reinforced the rich diversity of her music– and the notion that African artists like Tems cannot be bound to the catchall “Afrobeats” term, as their music has traveled well past the borders of the continent. – H.M.”
Tems‘ ‘Born In The Wild’ enjoyed a warm reception in the US where it garnered a Grammy nomination for Best Global Album. Her single ‘Burning’ earned her a record-breaking nomination for Best R&B Song while ‘Love Me Jeje’ earned the nod for Best African Music Performance.