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Tems released her voraciously anticipated debut studio album, Born In The Wild on Friday, June 7. Much to the fascination of her fans, Rebel Gang, the music project debuted on the same day with rapper, Falz’s EP release, Before The Feast.
Tems, a Grammy winner whose real name is Temilade Openiyi has been described as one of the most enthralling artiste to listen to since her emergence in 2019. She quickly became a household name, working with international artistes such as Rihanna, Future, Drake, Kendrick Lamar and Nigerian Afrobeats superstar, Wizkid. Though her full length debut studio album is coming almost six years into her mainstream debut, Tems also released two previous EPs- For Broken Ears (2020) and If Orange Was A Place (2021), both were moderately received by listeners across the globe.
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Following the release of the aforementioned projects, Tems continued to upskill and develop as an artiste, creative and a songwriter. Working with some of the best musicians across the world, the 28-year-old made sure her debut studio album leaves an indelible mark in the heart of her listeners.
Simply put, Tems is looking to stretch her lyricism beyond relationships and heartbreaks; she wants to explain how she transitioned from being a young lady from the streets of Lagos to becoming a global superstar.
On the project, Tems worked with two major artistes to achieve her objective. She featured Nigerian Afrobeats artiste, Asake on the single, “Get it right” and American rapper, J.Cole on “Free Fall”.
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Born In The Wild: Against All Odds, Tems Is Carving Her Own Path…
Reflecting on her journey thus far, Tems acknowledges her root, hence, the music project commences with “Born In The Wild”; like the average Nigerian youth, nothing comes easy, hence, they have to fight tooth and nail to create something of themselves.
“A Special Baby”, an interlude is the title of the next track, the single doesn’t credit anyone, albeit, it is assumed to be the voice of her mother. The voice of the woman speaking in the interlude is discussing how Tems has been a ‘special’ child since she came into the world.
Additionally, the woman mentioned how Tems didn’t give her much trouble while she was growing up.
Another interlude on the album is, “voices in my head”, also, it didn’t specify the name of the gentlemen speaking in the audio.
The lead single off the album is, “Me & U” which was released in 2023. Tems also did a cover of Yemi Sodimu’s smash hit, “Love me jeje”.
Theme Of The New Music Album, Born In The Wild
Of course, for a 21st century woman, the theme of her music project would be predominantly about love, relationship, female empowerment and seeking essence. Tems, despite being beautiful has been able to keep her relationship status private, she doesn’t hint at it through her social media platform, however, she has spoken about heartbreak time and again in her songs.
In “Wickedest”, Tems explains how she is able to put herself together despite her relationship falling apart.
Talking about Epicureanism and attaining celebrity status, Tems spoke her new found fame on “Burning”. She mentioned in the single that she is stunned as to how she is able to appear on the cover of magazines at such a short time.
Further, in tracks such as “Hold on” and “Ready”, Tems explains the importance of being intentional about one’s desire, pursuit of excellence and decision in life.
Conclusion…
A profound music production, the lyrics and sound suit Tems’ soothing but fierce personality immensely. Though there is a lot of room for improvement, Tems is able to approach the album through the lens of the West, however, she didn’t lose her roots as a Nigerian recording artiste.
While all the songs are not necessarily designed for the dancefloor, Born in the world would work magic for those who enjoy listening to music on a rainy Saturday morning. The music puts them in a reflective mood where they can catch up with their thoughts and feel their emotions without being judged.
Overall, it’s an excellent project. Highly recommended for those who enjoy putting their speakers on blast.
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