I didn’t want to be in the spotlight – Tems

Grammy-winning Nigerian singer Temilade Openiyi, popularly known as Tems, has opened up about her early discomfort with fame, revealing that although she wanted to succeed in music, she was initially afraid of becoming a public figure.

Speaking during an episode of The Boost Podcast, Tems said she struggled with the attention that came with her growing recognition and, for a period, tried to hide her identity from fans.

The singer explained that she wanted to keep living what she described as her “secret life” while pursuing her passion for music without being constantly recognised in public.

“I would go to the airport and people say, ‘You’re Tems.’ I will be like, ‘No, I’m not Tems.’ I was so afraid, I wanted to continue my secret life, and I was like, ‘God please, I don’t want to be in the spotlight,’” she said.

According to Tems, she gradually learned to adjust to the attention as her career grew and it became increasingly difficult to maintain a private life away from the public eye.

Before becoming one of Nigeria’s most recognised contemporary music stars, Tems worked as a digital marketer. She left her job in 2018 to pursue music professionally and released her debut single, “Mr Rebel,” that same year.

Her breakthrough came after she featured alongside Wizkid on the 2020 hit song “Essence,” which introduced her music to an even wider international audience.

Since then, Tems has built a successful global career while earning major industry recognition, including Grammy Awards. Her latest revelation offers a different perspective on that journey, showing that the transition from an emerging artist to a global star also meant learning how to live with the visibility she once tried to avoid.

Tems