Posted by Samuel on Thu 15th May, 2025 - tori.ng
Tems said she waited six months after quitting her job before releasing her first single, ‘Mr Rabel,’ which gained some traction.
Temilade Openiyi, the world-damous Nigerian Grammy award-winning singer, who is popularly known as Tems, has revealed that quitting a digital marketing job to pursue music was not easy.
The ‘Love Me Jeje’ hitmaker, in a recent conversation with Billboard, explained that despite the fears of quitting her job, she was confident in divine direction, especially as she felt digital marketing was not her destined career.
Tems said she waited six months after quitting her job before releasing her first single, ‘Mr Rabel,’ which gained some traction.
She said, “[I quit my digital marketing job because] it got to a point where I couldn’t take anymore. It was really dawning one me like, it’s now or never. I was just putting it off until I developed faith that God will see me through wherever I go.
“I quit my job in January 2018, I released ‘Mr Rabel’ six or seven months after I quit my job. Spiritually, I was aware that digital marketing wasn’t my path, I need to leave this place right now. It felt really like, life or death. It was like this can make or break your destiny, and you need to make a decision right now. I chose to quit and it worked out.”
Tems gained prominence after she was featured on Wizkid’s 2020 global hit, ‘Essence,’ which peaked at No.9 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
In 2022, she became the first African artist to debut N0.1 on the Billboard HOT 100 chat, through Future’s song, ‘Wait 4 U,’ which featured her and Drake. The song also won a Grammy for Best Melodic Rap the following year.
In Febuary 2025, Tems won another Grammy for her song, ‘Love Me Jeje’, for Best African Music Performance.