After a seven-year active period, Tems has carved out one of the most successful careers in the Nigerian music scene, boasting achievements like Grammy nominations, BET nods, and Billboard Hot 100 placements—all accomplished without releasing an official album. Amidst this remarkable journey, the anticipation for her debut album has been palpable. Despite having only released two extended plays, Tems’ talent alone provided a tantalizing glimpse into what a full-length project from the rising star might sound like.
Now, the time for her album has finally arrived. Tems announced the project by first clearing her Instagram—a universally understood hint—and then officially sharing an announcement video on her socials, revealing both the album’s name and release date. This move came as a surprise, considering her earlier statements suggesting she wouldn’t disclose either.
ALBUM TITLE
The album, titled “BORN IN THE WILD,” initially catches one off guard. At first glance, it seems disconnected from Tems’ persona. Her music leans towards the mellow and R&B genres, and she exudes more of a posh demeanor than anything “wild.” However, Tems explains that she chose the title with the intention of offering listeners a guided journey into her life, story, and background—a glimpse into her personal journal. The “wild” aspect refers to her homeland, Nigeria, and more specifically, Lagos metropolis where tumult, unrestrained living, and a survival-of-the-fittest ethos reign supreme.
Amidst all these depths of album name meanings, a particular trajectory of what to expect from Tems is almost impossible to predict, especially at a time like this where we have seen out-of-norm sounds from her with a lot of experimentation and playing around with sounds happening in and around her music. The most surprising being the log drums amapiano on “Me & U,” coming as a shock.
All this is pointing to the variety of directions she can explore on her new album. Albeit, it is certain that there would be a lot of R&B on the project, staying true to her signature genre, some Amapiano is also looking plausible on the album, obviously besides the already released “Me & U,” also not leaving out obvious Afrobeats, pop, fusion, and Alte influences. Her announcement video also gave a snippet and an idea of the general theme of the album, which I can only interpret to be tranquil, peaceful, rooted in tradition, and deeply engaging ambiance.
FEATURES
For features on the album, the array of artists to pick from is vast, but we can narrow down the possibilities based on potential collaborations. Considering some evidence, Tems was in the studio with ODUMODUBLVCK while he recorded with Blaqbonez, suggesting a possible feature involving both or one of the two acts. Videos also surfaced of her at Coachella, where she met Missy Elliot—an improbable but not impossible collaboration. Additionally, she was seen with Jada P, Wizkid’s manager, hinting at a potential second collaboration between them, given their history of producing hits together.
Her fellow African queens can also be a route of features, with Ayra Starr being the most straightforward pick, and maybe a return of favor to Tyla with a feature on her album. Featuring an American rap and or R&B star is another very plausible feature route for her. For the rap artist, she had earlier mentioned her interest in featuring Jay-Z or Kendrick Lamar, making them the nearest possibilities. Throwing out some other personally thought-out outcomes, Tems could feature Alte acts, considering her heavy affiliation with the Nigerian Alte scene. To spice it up, she might collaborate with Burna Boy or Rema. However, it’s important to note that these are merely speculations, and we will unveil official tracklists and features in the coming times.
The album from Tems, for the entire demographic of lovers, critics, and followers of the African music scape, expects nothing less than quality and more on her debut album after an elongated period of time even more with the snippet she recently performed at Coachella interpolating Seyi Sodimu’s “Love Me Jeje,” a certified Nigerian classic.
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