Nigerian singer Tems has made history again by winning the Best African Music Performance Grammy for her hit song Love Me Jeje. She triumphed over top contenders like Yemi Alade, Burna Boy, and Wizkid to take home the award.
Accepting the award in Los Angeles on Sunday night, an emotional Tems shared her excitement. “My heart was beating so fast,” she admitted. The award is only in its second year, a category introduced to recognise the growing influence of African artists on the global music scene.
This year’s awards sparked controversy after American R&B star Chris Brown was nominated in the same category for Sensational, a song with Afrobeats elements featuring Nigerian artists Davido and Lojay. His nomination raised debate over what qualifies as “African music” at the Grammys.
Tems, 29, was visibly out of breath as she walked to the stage. “I do work out, but it’s not showing up right now,” she joked, making the audience laugh. In her heartfelt speech, she expressed gratitude to her mother, who was present at the event. “Wow, dear God, thank you so much for putting me on this stage and bringing this team together. Tomorrow is my mum’s birthday, and this is her first Grammys. I just want to thank you, mum,” she said, gesturing toward her. “She has done so much for me and my brother.”
Her winning song, Love Me Jeje, samples a line from Seyi Sodimu’s 1997 Nigerian classic of the same name. The track has been a massive success, racking up 125 million streams on Spotify and 21 million views on YouTube. This victory makes Tems the first Nigerian artist to win two Grammys. She previously won Best Melodic Rap Performance in 2023 for her feature on Future’s hit song Wait For U.
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu congratulated her, praising her for making the country proud. “For the second time, you have brought pride to Nigeria,” he said. Aside from her win, Tems was nominated for two other categories: Best Global Music Album for Born in the Wild and Best R&B Song for Burning. With this, she has now received eight Grammy nominations in her career.
Tems first gained attention in 2018 with her self-produced debut single Mr Rebel. She further cemented her place in the industry with Try Me in 2019 and gained international fame when she featured on Wizkid’s hit song Essence, which earned her multiple award nominations, including a Grammy nod. Over the years, she has won NAACP Image Awards, a Soul Train Music Award, and BET Awards. With two Grammys and a growing list of achievements, Tems is solidifying her place as one of Africa’s most influential music stars on the global stage.
