Nigerian singer and songwriter, Tems released a new project titled “If Orange Was A Place.”
After a year filled with highlights—including a critically acclaimed debut EP, 2020’s For Broken Ears, and hit collaborations with Wizkid, Justin Bieber (“Essence”), and Drake (“Fountains”)—Nigerian alté R&B singer-songwriter Tems leans into a newfound sense of creative freedom on her sophomore EP. “I have learnt to let go and just live life and just do what comes naturally to me,” she tells Apple Music. “It has helped me find a new freedom of expression and a new vibe that isn’t based on past experiences but present moments.” Through its five tracks, If Orange Was a Place creates ample space for Tems’ distinctive voice to shine as she navigates through themes of finding inner peace and staying true to self. “Orange is a vibe,” she explains. “It is the feeling of sunset and the sweetness of an orange. And when I think of those songs, I am transported to a different place where everything is warm and sweet.”
Lyrically and sonically, Tems (Temilade Openiyi) represents an alté sound driving a new wave of African R&B—one centered on mood, expression, and originality, and one less concerned with trying to sound too familiar. “Growing up in Nigeria has created the rebel in me when it comes to my sound,” she explains, “and what motivates me to move every morning. All the encounters I have had brought out that rebel in me in different ways—the rebel that dares to do things her own way.” Here, Tems shares a snapshot of the EP, track by track.
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