Nigerian superstar Tems is now only a handful of African stars to surpass 1 billion streams on Global Spotify.
The Afrobeats singer has seen her career explode over the past year thanks in part to the success of her collaborative effort “Essence” with fellow Nigerian star Wizkid. The infectious single has been one of the most popular songs on the airwaves over the past year, and it’s showing no signs of slowing down. The track is so impressive that Justin Bieber hopped on the remix, and Kanye West called it the best song in the history of music.
Since the release of “Essence,” the song has been certified three times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, RIAA, and peaked at No. 9 on the Hot 100 chart. Tems single “Free Mind” was also certified Gold by the RIAA for selling more than 500,000 units in the United States after peaking at No. 46 on the Hot 100 chart. “Free Mind” is enjoying an impressive 17-week run on the US Hot 100 chart.
Tems has collaborated with Drake on “Fountains” off the Canadian rapper’s Certified Lover Boy album. She again worked with Drake on “Wait For U,” which also featured Future. She also worked with Rihanna on the Bajan singer’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever single “Lift Me Up.” Tems even released solo hits like “Crazy Tings” and Vibe Out” off her EP, If Orange Was a Place.
Crossing the billion stream mark is a true statement from Tems, who now found herself among an exclusive list of musicians to achieve the monumental fete on Spotify. She is currently working on her debut album, due next year. That project will further push her career on the international scene.
Tems also picked up an award at the 2022 American Music Awards for Favorite Hip Hop Song, “Wait For U” with Future and Drake and another one for Favorite R&B Song for “Essence” with WizKid.
