Soul Train Awards 2023: 5 Songs by Tems That Perfectly Showcase Her Artistry and Range
When Lagos-native Tems burst into the scene with her powerful vocals on Wizkid’s Grammy-nominated hit song “Essence,” she blew fans away and, three years later, has continued to show the power of her artistry.
Since collaborating with Wizkid, she has graced the studio with some of the biggest musicians in the world, such as Drake, Rihanna, and Beyoncé. Her accolades continued to pour in, from winning "Best New Artist" at the Soul Train Awards 2022 to winning her first Grammy for her collaboration with Drake and Future, “Wait For It.”
The 28-year-old songstress is taking the afrobeats/R&B world by storm. In honor of the upcoming “Soul Train Awards 2023,” let’s look at some essential songs from last year’s "Best New Artist".
“Essence”
As soon as Tems collaborated with Wizkid for this breakthrough record, it didn’t take long for it to hit the airwaves and rise in popularity globally. It became the first African song in history to chart on the Billboard 100 and Billboard Global 200 and made it to number nine on the Billboard Hot 100. She even received her first Grammy nomination in 2022 for Best Global Music Performance. The catchy sensual record later received a remix with Justin Beiber.
“Life Me Up” For Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
The bittersweet emotional ballad, co-written by Tems Ludwig Göransson and Black Panthers director Ryan Coogler, showed fans how much Tems can go artistically. The ballad may have been sung by business mogul and Grammy award-winning artist Rihanna, but if you listen closely, you can hear TEMS through and through. The song won accolades, including “Best Original Song in a Feature Film” at the 13th Hollywood Music in Media Awards and “Best Song” at the 2023 African-American Film Critics Association.
“Free Mind”
From the Nigerian native’s first EP, For Broken Ears, Tems gives her fans an intimate and personal inside look at some of her most profound thoughts in the soulful “Free Mind.” She talks about navigating life with a clouded mind and then transitions into the sensation of falling deep. The record peaked at number one in the Afrobeats Songs chart and number one on the R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Airplay chart.
“No Woman No Cry” For Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Tems’s cover of Bob Marley’s iconic song “No Woman No Cry” for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is one for the books. The song was so well received the R&B songstress took home her first NAACP Image Award for
“Outstanding International Song” for the cover. Even before the song was released, Tems discussed songs she would remix if given the opportunity. She told Billboard, “I would choose Bob Marley’s ‘Is This Love’ or ‘No Woman Don’t Cry,’ because those are one of my favorites.”“MOVE”
When Queen Bey released the groundbreaking album Renaissance, fans were excited to see TEMS credited as a songwriter. Tems and model/singer Grace Jones were featured on Beyoncé's catchy song, “Move,” which was nominated for “Best Collaboration” at the Soul Train Awards 2022. The track, which explores funk and afrobeat, will keep you on your feet. Collaborating with an artist as seasoned as Beyoncé so early in your career is no small feat.
Soul Train Awards 2023: 5 Songs by Tems That Perfectly Showcase Her Artistry and Range
When Lagos-native Tems burst into the scene with her powerful vocals on Wizkid’s Grammy-nominated hit song “Essence,” she blew fans away and, three years later, has continued to show the power of her artistry.
