Tems Says Her Debut Album Is “1,000% Coming Out This Year”

Every year, Billboard hosts its Women In Music awards ceremony to recognise extraordinary women in the music industry who have made significant contributions to the business and who, through their hard work and continued success, inspire generations of women to take on increasing responsibilities within the field.

The event celebrates women from different music professions in various categories:  Woman Of The Decade Award, Rising Star Award, Triple Threat Award, Rulebreaker Award, Trailblazer Award, Group of the Year, Chart-Topper Award, Icon Award, Impact Award, Legend Award, Breakthrough Artist, Hitmaker Award, Innovator Award, Powerhouse Award Game Changer Award Visionary Award Global Force Award Executives Of The Year Award, Women of the Year in Music, Producer Of The Year, and the biggest accolade; Woman Of The Year Award.

Nigerian singer and songwriter, Tems, is Billboard’s Women In Music 2024 Breakthrough Artist honoree, and ahead of the award event tomorrow, she sits with Billboard in an interview and discusses her breakthrough into music, collaborations with top artists, her childhood, and more. She also confirms her debut album will be released this year. “It is 1,000% coming out this year.”

Read the excerpts below:

On transitioning to making music full-time

“It wasn’t an overnight thing. I was selling myself short by not pursuing my passion and worrying about what people think.”

On her type of music

“Is it possible to make this type of music even though I’m Nigerian? Is there a limit to what I can make? I wanted to find out.”

On her self-assuredness 

“Growing up, everybody just called me Temi. Nobody really called me by my full name. It wasn’t something that was on my mind. It’s only now, as an adult, that I started realising that it meant ‘The crown is mine.’ I think that’s really powerful. It feels manifested, based on how my life has gone.”

On how much she impacts others

“I’m not sure if I would ever really be aware of whatever impact my story has, but it feels inspiring to know that I’ve inspired others because I’m inspired by other people as well. It just encourages me to keep going.”

Read the full interview here.

 

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Tems will accept her award and perform at the Billboard Women In Music ceremony on March 7 at the Youtube Theatre in Los Angeles.

Credits:

Photography by @zoemcconnell
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