Grammy winner Tems has spoken about a painful moment from the early days of her career, recalling how she was booed during a performance she expected would earn her applause.
The 30-year-old shared the experience in an interview with Big Boy TV.
“I remember one time I was going to perform at my school as an up and coming singer and I thought I was going to receive a standing ovation,” Tems said. “But I got booed. They even threw plastic bottles at me,” she recalled.
The singer explained that the rejection did not stop her from pursuing music. She suggested that at the time, many people did not understand her sound and that she remained committed to being original rather than following trends.
Tems has also spoken in the past about struggling to be taken seriously at the start of her journey. “It was really hard to get people to take me seriously, not just as a producer, but as a singer. I didn’t feel safe, and I didn’t feel seen, and I didn’t feel supported for a very long time.”
She added in another interview, “Authenticity is everything to me. That’s the only thing I cannot compromise on because that’s all I have, who I really am.”
Tems rose to global prominence in 2020 after featuring on Wizkid’s hit song ‘Essence’. The track earned international acclaim and opened doors to collaborations with major artists abroad.
