Quote by Tems: “I don't have time to be ordinary.”

Settling for a conventional, expected life feels like a waste of the specific and particular person you actually are. This is not about arrogance — it is about refusing to shrink into a smaller version of yourself just because it is easier or safer to do so.

Tems made this remark in international press interviews during 2022, the year she became the first African woman to reach the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100. Her rapid global rise came at a moment when the global infrastructure for African music distribution and recognition was significantly expanding.

Nigerian singer-songwriter whose distinctive voice and genre-blending approach made her one of the most rapidly rising Afrobeats artists in the world. Her collaboration with Wizkid on 'Essence' became the first Nigerian song to reach the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100.