A longform profile of Tems and their place in Nigeria’s music story.
In Nigeria’s modern pop pipeline, momentum matters: a breakout record can become a cultural timestamp in weeks, but lasting careers are built on consistency, reinvention, and community. Tems’s trajectory is worth studying for how it fits into that wider ecosystem.
Listening as a journalist means zooming in on what repeats: the rhythmic pocket, the vocal choices, the hooks that land, and the way the production frames the personality. With Tems, pay attention to phrasing—where the melody sits against the beat—and how the arrangement makes space for the voice to tell its story.
At their best, Nigerian pop records balance immediacy and detail: you can dance on first listen, then catch new textures on the fifth. That replay value often comes from small decisions—ad-libs, call-and-response patterns, percussion layers, and the way choruses lift without overreaching.
If you want a fast entry point, start with these frequently-surfacing results, then branch into albums, features, and live performances.
Nigerian music doesn’t travel globally by accident—it travels because it’s built to move people: in clubs, on radio, on TikTok, at weddings, at concerts. Artists like Tems sit inside that machinery, but also reshape it, influencing the next wave of hooks, flows, and production choices.
After you’ve sampled the essentials, listen in sequence: album cuts reveal pacing, mood switches, and narrative threads that singles can’t carry alone. Then check collaborations—they’re a map of the scene, showing who shares a sonic language and who is experimenting at the edges.
Softwave editorial note: this is part of a Nigeria spotlight series. We publish twice daily and keep sources linked when available.
If you’re building context, listen in three passes: first for the hook, then for arrangement choices (drops, bridges, switches), and finally for performance details. That third pass is where you catch personality—tone, phrasing, timing—and where the artist is most themselves.
Nigerian music is as much about community as it is about charts. Songs become soundtracks for everyday life—parties, commutes, weddings, and late-night radio. When a record connects, it spreads through conversations, dance clips, and shared playlists before it ever becomes “global”.
To keep exploring Tems, look up live clips and acoustic versions: they reveal whether a song works outside the studio and how the artist controls energy. Then follow the producer credits—they are often the hidden map of a scene.
From a journalism lens, the most interesting artists aren’t only the biggest—they’re the ones shaping taste. Pay attention to what younger artists borrow, what DJs keep in rotation, and what collaborations keep repeating; those patterns signal influence.
In a fast-moving scene, context helps: consider when the record arrived (season, trend cycle), what it borrowed (rhythm palette, tempo, slang), and what it pushed forward (melodic phrasing, structure). Those clues explain why some songs feel inevitable.
Create a “Nigeria Spotlight” playlist with three layers: (1) the hit, (2) a deep cut, (3) a collaboration. Repeat this pattern across artists and you’ll build a map of the scene that stays fresh.
If you’re building context, listen in three passes: first for the hook, then for arrangement choices (drops, bridges, switches), and finally for performance details. That third pass is where you catch personality—tone, phrasing, timing—and where the artist is most themselves.
Nigerian music is as much about community as it is about charts. Songs become soundtracks for everyday life—parties, commutes, weddings, and late-night radio. When a record connects, it spreads through conversations, dance clips, and shared playlists before it ever becomes “global”.
To keep exploring Tems, look up live clips and acoustic versions: they reveal whether a song works outside the studio and how the artist controls energy. Then follow the producer credits—they are often the hidden map of a scene.
From a journalism lens, the most interesting artists aren’t only the biggest—they’re the ones shaping taste. Pay attention to what younger artists borrow, what DJs keep in rotation, and what collaborations keep repeating; those patterns signal influence.
In a fast-moving scene, context helps: consider when the record arrived (season, trend cycle), what it borrowed (rhythm palette, tempo, slang), and what it pushed forward (melodic phrasing, structure). Those clues explain why some songs feel inevitable.
Create a “Nigeria Spotlight” playlist with three layers: (1) the hit, (2) a deep cut, (3) a collaboration. Repeat this pattern across artists and you’ll build a map of the scene that stays fresh.
Comments
Axel Bouaziz 5 Aug 2018
Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt explicabo.
ReplyMegan Fox 28 July 2018
Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt explicabo.
ReplyMostafa Wahba 10 July 2018
Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt explicabo.
ReplyZach Roszczewski 15 Jun 2018
Doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt explicabo.
Reply