By Felicia Odom
Nigerian global music icon Temilade Openiyi a.k.a Tems, feels like she has not been given due recognition for her contributions for the song “Essence” a global hit she did with Wizkid.
Speaking her mind in an Instagram post Tems argued that while the song reached millions of fans her role as the song writer must not be overlooked especially by fans of Wizkid.
“Essence,” released in 2020 by Wizkid featuring Tems, became a worldwide anthem and one of the biggest African songs to enter international charts.
“They keep saying Essence changed lives true, but let’s not forget who penned it. Love Wiz, but his fans be moving mad sometimes,” Tems wrote.
“Essence” opened the global music door for Tems. In 2022, Tems made history again when vocal snippets from her song “Higher” were sampled in Future and Drake’s Grammy-winning “Wait for U,” which debuted at No. 1 on the same chart. Her own single “Free Mind” climbed the US charts, while her voice and lyrics found their way onto Beyoncé’s “Move” and Rihanna’s “Lift Me Up.”
Tems and Wizkid...