Saint Realest

From 9-to-5 to Grammy stage, Tems didn’t see this coming—she says so herself

Grammy winner Tems reflects on surpassing her own expectations, admitting in a fan interaction on X that her current reality far exceeds anything she envisioned while working a 9-to-5 job.

Opting out of digital marketing in 2018, she commits to music and, by 2020, lands on Wizkid’s “Essence,” later remixed with Justin Bieber, inching to No. 9 on Billboard’s Hot 100.

By 2023, her vocals secure a Grammy via Future’s “Wait for U.” The following year, she wins the Best African Music Performance for “Born in the Wild.”