Hello and welcome to The Long Wave. I’m Eromo Egbejule, the Guardian’s west Africa correspondent. This week, I spoke to Tems about her latest project: the Nigerian singer-songwriter and producer has been helping African women overcome many hurdles in the music industry.
‘The future of African music is female and connected’
In February, the singer Tems won the second of her two Grammy awards for the single Love Me Jeje, a milestone that made her arguably the most successful Nigerian woman in music since Sade Adu.
“Dear God, thank you so much for putting me on this stage,” Tems said, flanked by her mother and members of her team. It was yet another win for the rising talent since her breakthrough five years ago on the track Essence with fellow Nigerian superstar Wizkid.
As a newcomer in Nigeria’s music industry, Tems, born Temilade Openiyi, faced many challenges. Unable to afford beats for her songs, only a handful of people believed in her vision in those early days.
Today, the 30-year-old is a household name, collaborating with megastars such as Beyoncé and Drake. She has also performed at festivals and on stages that many of her peers still covet – the 2023 NBA All-Star Game half-time show, Coachella in 2024, and at this summer’s Fifa Club World Cup final.
Succeeding as a musician in Africa remains a tough endeavour and only a few make it to stardom. On that slope to success are many barriers, including lack of funding and infrastructure, that are even further compounded for women who additionally face misogyny. “There are some people who I looked up to in the industry but, surprisingly, they also wanted sex,” the singer Yemi Alade said in an interview in 2016.
The Beninese-French singer Angélique Kidjo has also spoken of people discouraging her from playing the drums, with one person insisting “drums are not made for women to play”.
Tems told the Guardian: “When I first started gaining a platform, it was incredibly empowering to have women I admired, like Rihanna, Adele and Beyoncé, connect with my music. Their recognition validated my journey and, in some cases, led to opportunities to collaborate. Now, I want to give other women that same platform.”
This is why, in early August, Tems assembled 20 of her countrywomen in the industry to help them forge their own paths to success.
Tackling imbalances
Tems’s initiative isn’t the only one tackling these imbalances head-on. The Lagos-based nonprofit Audio Girl Africa, which describes itself as a “pan-African sisterhood building the future”, holds workshops and mentors female artists, A&Rs, marketers, and other music business professionals. In Nairobi, the Santuri Electronic Music Academy, founded in 2021, has trained dozens of female producers and engineers.
At the continental policy level, the African Union’s Afri’Talent cohort, launched in December in Ethiopia, supports women and youth in the arts, including music, as part of a drive to unlock $100bn for African creatives by 2030.
Until now, no programme on this scale had been backed by an artist of Tems’s standing. The first edition of the singer’s Leading Vibe Initiative (LVI) was held in Lagos, Nigeria, this month to position African women as decision-makers and creators, not just performers or content add-ons.
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She and a roll call of stars were on the speaker roster, including the veteran rapper Sasha P, vocal coach Joyce Olong and producer-songwriter Bloody Civilian, who counts Black Panther: Wakanda Forever among her numerous production credits.
“I wanted to spotlight the incredible women across the Nigerian music industry who have navigated their careers on their own terms … I wanted participants to hear from people with first-hand experience who could truly empathise with the struggles,” Tems told the Guardian.
At LVI, there were workshops and masterclasses on long-term strategy and creative autonomy from industry-renowned A&Rs and executives at the Africa divisions of Sony and Universal Music. Participants also got to use iZotope, audio software created for the programme, to boost their technical skills.
“For many women, breaking through means having to work twice as hard to be taken seriously, while also shouldering expectations around how they should look, sound, or present themselves,” said Lola Ige, the head of marketing at Sony Music West Africa, who moderated a panel on image and team building.
Pearl Ehanire, who attended the masterclasses and other sessions, said she came away not just with the right software but with renewed confidence and new collaborators.
“One of the biggest challenges I’ve faced in my music journey is access, particularly to knowledge, mentorship, and the right gear … [Now] I feel so much more confident in my journey as a music producer,” Ehanire said. “I’ve also been able to connect with so many amazing female creatives in the industry … I’m unimaginably grateful for the experience.”
Plans are under way to hold a second edition in Nairobi, Kenya in the coming weeks, and elsewhere around the world. And hopes are rising across the continent that the initiative becomes another catalyst for inclusivity in the creative sector.
“The future of African music is female and connected,” the radio host and songwriter Klaire Onyeka, another participant, wrote on Instagram. “[I’m] excited to be part of such a purposeful community.”
