How Grammy award winning singer, Tems almost failed to pursue a music career

 

Nigerian Grammy award winning singer, songwriter Tems

Nigerian Grammy award winning singer, songwriter, and record producer, Temilade Openiyi, known professionally as Tems is walking her fans down memory lane with tidbits of recollection on how her brilliant music career almost didn't flourish.

Speaking during an interview with Hot97, Tems recalled how she got a white collar job because that is what her parents wanted and she was trying to make them proud.

However after a while she realized, hard as she may try she could not conform to that way of life.

 "After I graduated, I had a job... I was trying to be a good girl," started off the 28-year-old 'Essence' hitmaker.

Tems, who made a record by being the first female Nigerian artist to ever win a Grammy Award, proceeded to elaborate on what she meant by the term "good girl" and how she finally gave up on that narrative.

"A good girl is a girl who listens to her parents and studies, gets a job and is like, okay I am trying to make my parents proud so by showing them I'm going to get a good job, get married, have a family, you know, do the thing.

The robot plan, the zombie plan... and I was on that plan," the 'Not An Angel' crooner narrated.

Finishing up, the artist who also doubles as a producer highlighted how getting signed snapped her back to her senses making her realize that she was not really living her life, and had started giving up on a dream she has harboured for 2 decades.

"When I got signed I was like... you know the thing is I have been writing music since I was 11 years, and I was just like do I want to be here (working) for the next 10 years? What do I want? Is this it? And I was like, naah I would rather die than remain here," Tems candidly said as she let out a chuckle. Confirming that's how she stopped being a "good girl" and went after the very thing that set her soul on fire.

BY  HANNIE PETRA