Nigerian artiste Temilade Openiyi, popularly known in showbiz as Tems, has won the Best African Music Performance award with her song ‘Love Me JeJe’ at this year’s 67th Annual Grammy Awards. The ceremony was held on February 2, 2025 at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. She received three nominations at this year’s ceremony, bringing her career total to eight.
This is the second time Tems is winning a Grammy. She won her first Grammy in 2023, with Best Melodic Rap Performance for her collaboration on Future’s ‘Wait for You’, featuring Drake.
Released on April 26, 2024, “Love Me JeJe” is a modern rendition of Seyi Sodimu’s 1997 classic. Tems’ version blends Afrobeat’s and R&B, showcasing her unique musical style.
Tems faced stiff competition in the Best African Music Performance category, edging out notable artists including Yemi Alade with “Tomorrow”, Asake and Wizkid’s collaboration “MMS”, Chris Brown featuring Davido and Lojay on “Sensational”, and Burna Boy’s “Higher”. She was also nominated for Best Global Music Album for Born in the Wild and Best R&B Song for Burning.
In a similar vein, South African singer Tyla won the Best African Music Performance award last year with ‘Water’, when the category was first introduced.
Tems in her speech while receiving the award, expressed her appreciation to all the people who have been of great support to her.
“Dear God, thank you so much for putting me on this stage and bringing me this team. Tomorrow is my mum’s birthday, and this is her first Grammys. I just want to thank you, mum, because she’s really done a lot for me and my brother. I want to thank my team—thank you so much. To God be the glory, because honestly, He’s changed my life so much. Thank you so much, thank you God,” she said.
Other nominees in the category are Yemi Alade (‘Tomorrow’), Asake & Wizkid (‘MMS’), Chris Brown Featuring Davido & Lojay (‘Sensational’), and Burna Boy (‘Higher’).
The 2025 Grammy Awards celebrated a diverse array of talents, with notable wins across various genres.
The Best African Music Performance category recognizes recordings that utilize unique local expressions from across the African continent. Highlighting regional melodic, harmonic and rhythmic musical traditions, the category includes but is not limited to the Afrobeat, Afro-fusion, Afro Pop, Afrobeat, Alte, Amapiano, Bongo Flava, Genge, Kizomba, Chimurenga, High Life, Fuji, Kwassa, Ndombolo, Mapouka, Ghanaian Drill, Afro-House, South African Hip-Hop, and Ethio Jazz genres.
The 2025 GRAMMYs are raising funds for MusiCares Fire Relief, a dedicated campaign to support the people affected by the recent wildfires in the Greater Los Angeles Area. All money raised will remain in the community and will be used to aid those impacted.
