Nigerian superstar, Tems, has advised young musicians to be true to themselves and not succumb to pressures to change their sound or style.
Speaking in a recent BBC interview, the Grammy Award-winning singer, whose real name is Temilade Openiyi, stated that being “audacious” and believing in her style led to her success.
“So I would say how I did, how I got here is really through authenticity and being audacious. Like believing in yourself so much even when people tell you to change your sound, change your style, you look at them and you say no,” she said.
The “Me & U” singer admitted that her unwavering stance cost her early opportunities, including record deals, but she had no regrets.
“If it meant not being signed, I was okay with not being signed. I went to a couple of places that didn’t sign me, and I was okay with that, because I love music,” she stated.
Speaking about her Leading Vibe initiative in her home country, Tems noted “It’s to change the way people see women and to change the way women see themselves in music. I promise myself that if I get to a place where I can do more, I will make this initiative for women like me.”
“For me it is not just artistes, it’s also producers, it is audio engineers, instrumentalists, guitarists, pianists, drummers, it’s music, managers. It’s people that are interested in managing other women,” she stated.
She continued that beginning her career, she did not have people taking her serious in the music industry.
Tems noted that the initiative is to redefine the perspective about women in the music industry.
“I just find that people don’t really respect women a lot in the industry. It was difficult to find people to take me seriously but it didn’t mean that I stopped, I just kept on going.
“Personally, I’ve always wanted to redefine the perspective that women have of themselves. As a woman myself I’m the best person to start something like this because that’s really the aim of this,” she added.
