Nigerian music sensation Temilade Openiyi, popularly known as Tems, has made history as the first female African artist to surpass 1 billion streams on Spotify with a single track.
Her global hit Wait For U, a collaboration with American rapper Future and Drake, recently crossed the milestone, further cementing her position as one of Africa’s most successful exports in the music industry.
The song, released in 2022, samples Higher from Tems’ debut EP For Broken Ears (2020) and debuted at No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100. This feat made Tems the first African artist to debut at the top of the prestigious chart.
Beyond its commercial success, Wait For U also earned two nominations at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards—Best Rap Song and Best Melodic Rap Performance—winning the latter.
With this latest achievement, Tems continues to break boundaries and inspire a new wave of African artists on the global stage.
