At the Billboard Women in Music event on Wednesday night (March 6), Tems, the Nigerian singer-songwriter and producer, embodied an ethereal presence as she performed her latest single, ‘Not an Angel.’ Clad in a mesmerising white bedazzled hooded dress, she graced the stage at the YouTube Theatre in Inglewood, Calif., with a captivating aura. As she sang, wisps of smoke billowed from beneath her, creating a stunning effect resembling a flowing train.
‘Not an Angel‘ is one of the two singles Tems unveiled last year, following the release of ‘Me & U’ two months ago. In her profile for Women in Music, she teased fans with the assurance that her highly anticipated debut album “is 1,000% coming out this year.” This performance not only showcased Tems’ musical prowess but also heightened anticipation for her forthcoming album, promising fans an immersive experience of her artistry.
Tems dedicated her award to “the first woman I ever met,” her mother, who broke with Yoruba tradition by choosing her daughter’s name Témìládè Openiyi — a role typically reserved for the father’s side of the family—because “God told me,” Tems’ mother explained on For Broken Ears’ “Témìládè Interlude.“
“I really want to use this opportunity to say to all the women in the room, in the world, that no matter what you’re going through, you should know you’re not alone. So even when you’re sad, even when you’re angry, there’s someone that’s angry, too. So uplift everybody around you because they need that like you and somebody’s there for you,” she concluded her speech. “It’s the women that got the women, trust me.”
