Temilade Openiyi popularly known as Tems was seen at the red carpet of the 67th Grammys award rocking a gorgeous golden blouse and matching gloves and earrings. During the Premiere ceremony, she won Best African Music Performance for “Love Me JeJe,” which was not really a surprised considering how talented she is.
This marks only the second year since the category was introduced, a decision that was widely praised for acknowledging the influence of African artists on the global music industry.
However, this year’s nominations sparked some controversy, as American R&B star Chris Brown was included for his song Sensational, which blends Afrobeats elements and features guest vocals from Nigerian artists Davido and Lojay.
In an emotional acceptance speech on Sunday evening, Tems who was out of breath as she took to the stage after her name was read out at the awards ceremony.
Starting her speech with a light joke she said “I do work out but it’s not showing up right now,” as she patted her heart to the amusement of the audience.
“Wow, dear God thank you so much for putting me on this stage and bringing this team, and tomorrow is my mum’s birthday and this is her first Grammys.
“I just want to thank you mum,” she said gesturing towards her, “because she has done a lot for me and my brother.”
Love Me Jeje, which samples a line from Seyi Sodimu’s 1997 Nigerian classic of the same name, has racked up 125 million listens on Spotify and 21 million views on YouTube.