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Tems Confirms Her Debut Album Is "1,000% Coming Out" In 2024
Tems’ long-awaited debut album will finally be released in 2024. After penning songs for Rihanna and Beyoncé, the Nigerian singer confirmed that she’s working on the body of work.
In a conversation with Billboard published today (March 4), the “Free Mind” hitmaker announced that her LP “is 1,000 percent coming out this year.” She added, “[I’m] not thinking too much about outcomes.”
While an album title or tracklist has yet to be revealed, Tems debuted “Not An Angel” in December 2023. “This song is about knowing your worth and moving on in life from anything holding you back,” she said about the record. It arrived months after “Me & U,” which served as the artist’s first single of that year.
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2021’s If Orange Was A Place is Tems’ most recent solo project. In addition to tracks like “Crazy Tings” and “Found,” the EP boasted a lone feature from Brent Faiyaz. She also appeared on Drake’s “Fountains” from Certified Lover Boy that same year. Meanwhile, 2022 saw the songstress sampled in Future’s smash hit “WAIT FOR U.”
“I’m not sure if I would ever really be aware of whatever impact my story has, but it feels inspiring to know that I’ve inspired others because I’m inspired by other people as well,” Tems told Billboard. “It just encourages me to keep going.”
Elsewhere in their conversation, she spoke about the growing influence of Afrobeats. “[It] doesn’t perfectly fit into one genre,” the artist explained. “I believe not every Nigerian needs to do the generic sound because we’re talented in general, and whatever we decide to do, we’ll just do it really well.” Ayra Starr and Tyla, the latter of whom recently won a Grammy Award for Best African Music Performance, were among the two standout acts she cited.
Fans can expect to see Tems at Coachella 2024 in April. The lineup also includes Jhené Aiko, Blxst, Victoria Monét and Tinashe, among others across Hip Hop and R&B.