5 Powerful Things Tems Said in New Interview

Nigerian singer Tems is the latest cover star for DAZED Magazine. The singer who has had a whirlwind year of performing back to back and working on music finally got to sit down for an interviw, and during that time she spoke about a lot of thing, and spoke well!

Here are the 5 major highlights from Tems' conversation with Dazed. Here's what she said.

**Before reading on, please make sure to like and follow my Facebook page (Jide Okonjo) so you don't miss out on any new and interesting lists, articles, and stories that I post every single day. I have a really fun page. If you like my page, you will have fun too. So what's stopping you? Like my page and let's have fun together!

1. Competition

Speaking about competition, Tems said:

There cannot be any competition because I’m just being 100% myself. If you want something else, you can go somewhere else. It’s not by force.

2. Being a Leader

Speaking on being a leader, Tems said:

I already had music that I liked and I didn’t know I was looking for a sound. But I just thought, before all these songs were made, there was somebody who made this song, started this trend or started singing like this first. And then other people followed them. I don’t want to be somebody that follows; I don’t want to be the ‘after’ person. I want to be the first. So if I’m going to be the first person, what I bring, there can be nothing like it. One thing I know for sure is I’m the first of my kind, whatever my kind is.

3. Other Women in Music

Speaking about why she supports other women in music, Tems said:

If I win an award or I’m doing great things for years, and not once do I mention anyone else, [things will] just remain the same. Just acknowledging them for the fact that they exist, that they’re putting themselves out there, that there’s another great woman like me, another mad artist like me, is the only way we’re going to make a difference. It won’t happen unless someone with a platform brings it there.

What I’m trying to do or what I hope that God does through me, is for the image of the African woman to be [changed] to something luxurious, or desired, or sought after. For the demand of the African woman to go up… Let us not be chasing foreign things, let us be something to be chased. that can’t just happen with me; it’s a together thing. It has to happen with a whole industry of women already doing real and amazing things. That’s the future. The more power the people have, the greater we become as a whole.

4. Nigerians

Speaking about Nigerians, Tems said:

I think the perfectionism is definitely a Nigerian thing. For me, it’s definitely Lagos. Because if you check around the world, Nigerians are always the best at whatever they’re doing, whether that’s braids, hair, make-up, doctors… They’ll give you food and it’ll be over good, so that when you’re paying them, you know why.

5. Her Goal

Speaking on what her goal is in this industry, Tems said:

I don’t want the same things most artists want, my goal is different. It’s not necessarily people, it’s really just a system. But once you’re an artist you’re not really an artist, you’re an entertainer – your life is entertainment for people. It’s a system of distraction. And that’s fine. I think that’s just what people expect of me, to fuel that, to kind of chase their attention. I don’t need to scrape my teeth on the floor to prove that I’m the greatest. I’m not saying that I’m the greatest ever but I know I’m the greatest Tems… And if there’s another thing I know for sure, it’s that I’m not going anywhere.

What do you think about what Tems said? Let me know your thoughts by leaving a comment either below or on my Jide Okonjo Facebook post.

That's All.

I hope you’ve had fun. Don’t forget to follow my page (Jide Okonjo) if you don’t already for more stories like this, the fun never ends

To catch up on other content you might have missed, click here.

Until next time, have a wonderful rest of your day.