Grammy-winning Nigerian Afropop singer, Temilade Openiyi, popularly known as Tems, has said women are not given due respect in the music industry.
Tems, who made history as the first Nigerian female artiste to win a Grammy in 2023, spoke in an interview with the BBC, which started trending on Tuesday.
She reflected on the early years of her career, revealing that it was difficult for her to be taken seriously as a woman in the male-dominated industry.
She said, “I realised that there’s always a cost. There’s always a price that you pay. And a lot of those prices I wasn’t willing to pay and there wasn’t a lot of options.”
Afropop has gained global recognition over the past decade, with Nigerian stars like Burna Boy, Davido and Wizkid — often referred to as the “Big Three” — dominating the scene.
Female artistes such as Tiwa Savage and Yemi Alade have also spoken about the gender-based barriers they face.
Tems has herself been at the centre of online criticism, earlier this year responding to negative comments about her body after a performance video went viral on X.
She wrote, “It’s just a body, I will add and lose weight. I never once hid my body, I just didn’t feel the need to prove or disprove anyone. The more you don’t like my body the better for me actually.”
Speaking about her plans to empower women, Tems unveiled her new platform, The Leading Vibe Initiative, which she said is aimed at creating opportunities for young women in Africa’s music industry.
“I promised myself that if I get to a place where I can do more, I will make this initiative for women like me and maybe make it easier for women to access platforms and access a wider audience and success,” she said.
Tems attributed her rise to staying “authentic” and “audacious” despite industry pressure to change. “Even when people tell you to change your sound, change your style, you look at them and you say: ‘No’. If it meant me not being signed, I was okay not being signed. I went to a couple of places that didn’t sign me and I was okay with that,” she stated.
