Tems has made history as the first African female artist to feature on a song that has surpassed 1 billion streams on Spotify. This remarkable achievement follows the success of Future’s 2022 hit, Wait For U, which reached the billion-stream milestone, with Tems featured alongside Canadian superstar Drake.
The track, part of Future’s 2022 album I Never Liked You, has been a massive commercial success since its release. It also marked a significant moment for Tems, earning her a spot among the select few Nigerian artists with songs that have surpassed a billion streams on the platform. She joins Wizkid (with One Dance featuring Drake) and Rema (with Calm Down featuring Selena Gomez).
This milestone for Tems adds to a list of major achievements, including making history as the first Nigerian artist to debut at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 with Wait For U. Additionally, the track earned her her first Grammy win in 2023 for Best Melodic Rap Performance.
Since her international breakthrough in 2020 with her contributions to Wizkid’s Essence, Tems has become a global sensation, collaborating with artists like Beyoncé and Drake. She further solidified her place in music history by becoming the first Nigerian artist to receive an Oscar nomination for Best Original Score, for her work on the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack, “Lift Me Up,” performed by Rihanna.
At the 2025 Grammys, Tems continues to break barriers, becoming the first Nigerian artist to receive a nomination in the R&B category, with a nod for Best R&B Performance. She also picked up her second Grammy award, winning Best African Song Performance for Love Me Jeje.
Story by Obaapa Janee
