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Grammy award-winning Nigerian singer, songwriter, and producer Temilade Openiyi popularly known as Tems has revealed how popularity helped her fall in love with her traditional name.
According to the 28-year-old, growing up she never used to use her first name Temilade everyone just referred to her as Tems and she never really thought much of her name or the power it holds.
However, with the trajectory her life has been taking she was inclined to learn more about her name and her findings melted her heart, making her fall more and more in love with her Nigerian name.
"Growing up, everybody just called me Temi. Nobody really called me by my full name. It wasn’t something that was on my mind,” said Tems while speaking during an interview she had with Billboard Magazine after being named among 2024's Women in Music Breakthrough honourees.
She went on to reveal the meaning of her name and why it feels like a full circle manifestation coming true moment for her.
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“It’s only now, as an adult, that I started realizing that it meant ‘The crown is mine.’ I think that’s really powerful. It feels manifested, based on how my life has gone,” added the Afrobeats and RnB star who was the first Nigerian female to win a Grammy Award.
During the interview, she mused over how excited and grateful she was to have her passion, work, and achievements inspire other people to pursue their dreams.
All while maintaining that in as much as she had a sense of pride she would never really be able to comprehend the impact she truly has on other people's stories.
“I’m not sure if I would ever really be aware of whatever impact my story has, but it feels inspiring to know that I’ve inspired others because I’m inspired by other people as well. It just encourages me to keep going,” Tems candidly said.
The Women in Music award was held yesterday evening, Wednesday, March 6, 2024, and the 'Me & U' crooner was honoured alongside other women in music, including Ice Spice, NewJeans, new Grammy winner, Victoria Monét, Kylie Minogue, Charli XCX, Luisa Sonza, Young Miko, and the American country singer Maren Morris.
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