Nigerian singer Temilade Openiyi, known as Tems, has become the best selling female artist from Africa, setting a new milestone in the continent’s music history.
Tems, who began her music career in 2018, has now sold over 25 million units worldwide. This puts her ahead of top stars like Angelique Kidjo, Tiwa Savage, and Yemi Alade in global commercial sales.
Music data charts show that her hit song ‘Essence’ is certified 5x Platinum in the United States, meaning it sold 5 million units. Her other songs also performed strongly. ‘Wait For U’ earned 3x Platinum, ‘Free Mind’ got 2x Platinum, while ‘Higher’ reached Platinum status in the US.
She also received Platinum and Gold awards in other countries like the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Switzerland, Australia, Belgium, New Zealand, and South Africa.
One fan on X commented, “Tems is in a league of her own now. She didn’t just break into the industry, she took over.”
Another user said, “This is huge. Tems has gone global and the numbers prove it.”
Meanwhile, on the full list of African artists, Algerian singer Cheb Khaled leads with 81 million units sold, followed by Nigerian star Wizkid with 75 million units.
