To me, Tems's music which straddles R&B and Afrobeats has an honesty: Her tone is earthy and her lyrics are direct, often set to production that isn't particularly ornate. Her hooks, though, are the killer; they are seemingly crafted to be hummed around the house or screamed over speakers.
You're just the vessel, it's just coming out of your mouth. Tems is one of several artists from nations in Africa who have crossed into the Western mainstream.
One benefit of the growing popularity of music from Africa was that Africans had been able to wrest some control over narratives about their continent. People are discovering Africa first, not through the lens of CNN or The New York Times, he said, but through the lens of the music.
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