Nigerian artiste Temilade Openiyi, popularly known as Tems, has finally received the plaque for her Grammy Award win.
Tems’ contribution to Future’s song “Wait For U,” which also included Drake, earned her the Grammy for Best Melodic Rap Performance at the 65th Grammy Awards on February 6, 2023.
On Friday night, Muyiwa Awoniyi, the artiste’s manager, announced the plaque’s arrival on social media.
The curvy vocalist is not only the first female Nigerian musician to win a Grammy but also the first to be nominated for one.
Last year, she was nominated for her collaboration with Wizkid on the blockbuster song “Essence,” in the Best Global Performance category but Pakistan’s Arooj Aftab won.
Considered one of the most critically acclaimed African artistes, Tems was honored with the Prize for Music at The Future Awards Africa and the Impact Award at the BMI London Awards in recognition of her “ground-breaking artistry, creative vision and impact on the future of music”.
Tems released her debut album, For Broken Ears in 2020. The single “Damages” served as its lead single. Both The Beatz honours and the All Africa Music Awards nominated the album for honours. She later worked with Wizkid on “Essence,” which received positive reviews and earned her a Grammy nomination for Best Global Music Performance.
The song also received numerous honours at the Soul Train Music Awards, the NAACP Image Awards, the BET Awards, and the Headies Awards.
If Orange Was a Place, Tems’ second studio album, was released in 2021 and was named Best R&B Album at the Headies. She appeared alongside Future and Drake in the song “Wait for U,” which was nominated for a Grammy for Best Rap Song and won for Best Melodic Rap Performance, an American Music Awards and a BET Hip Hop Awards.
In 2022 Tems contributed to Beyoncé’s seventh studio album Renaissance on the track “Move”, receiving nominations at the NAACP Image Awards and Soul Train Music Awards.
