From Lagos’ burgeoning alternative music scene to global domination, Tems’ story is nothing short of a modern music fairytale. While her ethereal vocals and defiant songwriting are unequivocally her own, every fairytale needs a pivotal moment, a meeting of minds that sets the entire saga in motion.
This pivotal moment, it turns out, was facilitated by a Nigerian rap royalty: Wale "Tec" Davies, one half of the celebrated rap duo Show Dem Camp.
In a candid, tell-all interview with Culture Custodian, Tec, a pillar of Nigeria’s ‘alté’ music movement, unveiled the deeply personal and almost accidental role he played in the initial lift-off of Tems’ now-global career.
The Phone Call That Kickstarted The Journey
Tec’s initial encounter with Tems’ music was a moment of pure shock to the system.
It wasn't through a carefully pitched demo or a sleek marketing campaign, it was a random play by a former girlfriend that introduced him to the raw brilliance of her debut single, 'Mr Rebel' (released in 2018).
"Some girl I was dating at the time, played me Tems’ song, ‘Mr Rebel’," Tec recounted, his recollection tinged with a sense of awe. "I just remembered whoever this person is, is singing for their life. This person is singing for freedom. It just felt so real."
For Tec, Tems’ voice was an unmissable signal. An immediate deep-dive into Tems’ Instagram revealed she was already cultivating a following through covers, confirming her innate talent.
The search to connect with this genius was swift and Tec noticed a mutual connection on Tems’ Instagram, a friend from his university days in Brighton, Felicia. The universe, it seemed, was already aligning the pieces. A quick phone call confirmed the link, with Felicia revealing, "Yeah, that’s my cousin."
But the connections didn't end there. Tec immediately reached out to Spax, one of the most respected producers in the Nigerian alternative music community. A simple phone call to play Tems’ song resulted in a twist of fate.
"Her voice was so distinct, he immediately recognized her. He was like, ‘I know this babe now…I drove her out of the studio last year’," Tec revealed.
This reconnection brought her back into the fold, setting up collaborations that would later include the hit track ‘Falling’ with LadiPoe from the 2018 debut album T.A.P (Talk About Poe), effectively cementing Tems as a key figure in the rising Collectiv3 supergroup.
"Later, she said to me that for the first time, she felt like she had found a music community that she could work with and there weren’t creeps," Tec shared, highlighting the crucial element of safety and creative freedom that their collective environment provided.
Tems soon contributed to Collectiv3 II, which was followed closely by her own breakout single, ‘Try Me’ – the track that would transform her from an underground favourite to a mainstream sensation.
"She didn’t have a manager at the time”
The moment the music caught fire as reality kicked in. With ‘Try Me’ on the verge of release, a partnership with Jameson surfaced to support the video production for a select group of rising artists, including Tems and DRB LasGidi.
"She didn’t have a manager at the time. She had an email account that people will email her but it was her ‘manager’," Tec quipped, painting a picture of a fiercely independent artist focused entirely on the art.
In the meeting with Jameson, Tec’s industry experience became invaluable. He "just stepped in to negotiate things for her," securing payment and promotion for the video – a negotiation that went seamlessly.
However, the creative process for the ‘Try Me’ video proved just as illustrative of Tems' fiercely independent spirit. Tec’s own video treatments were repeatedly turned down.
"All of her videos, she more or less directs them," he explained. "She has a specific idea of the song, what the visuals should be, and she just knew what she wanted for ‘Try Me’ video."
Tems' clear, uncompromised vision ultimately led to the choice of Demola Falomo as director, proving she would not sacrifice artistic integrity for convenience.
It was immediately after the successful Jameson negotiation that Tems, recognising Tec's protective instincts and savvy, simply asked the defining question: "‘why didn’t you just manage me?’"
Tec revealed his initial hesitation stemmed from past informal management efforts that had failed to fully formalise.
“And because of my history with trying to manage artistes…I’ve worked with a lot of artistes in an informal capacity before. But whenever I try to formalize it, something comes up.”
Tec revealed that before even another artist Ayo Jay blew up, he wanted to sign him as well. But it couldn’t materialize.
“When she [Tems] came, I was a little bit weary. Also, I really like her as a person. I also had this thing that I didn’t want to disappoint someone that I like as a person.”
“But I was like yeah…. if we are going to do it, you need a contract. She was like..yeah I’ll get a contract.
But Tems was decisive. The very next day, she returned with a contract (which Tec jokingly admits he has no idea where she procured it from), and within a week, the formal partnership was sealed, a near-instantaneous process compared to the typical drawn-out industry negotiations.
“She was very clear that she wants me to be the person," Tec said.
To manage the day-to-day work for an emerging global star, they brought in Muyiwa Awoniyi, as co-manager, a connection Tec had already established through work on ShowDemCamp’s Palmwine Music 2 EP.
This partnership was defined by unprecedented momentum. The success of ‘Try Me’ was instant, fuelled by its unique, rebellious, and highly relatable perspective, especially among women. "It was angry. It was rebellious. There had been no song from a woman, at that time in the space," Tec noted on the success of the song.
The Drake-Beyoncé Tipping Point
Tec recalled a performance in Lekki where, upon leaving, fans began "chasing the car... people are knocking on the windows."
The seismic shift was undeniable. Tems’ meteoric rise was, in Tec’s words, "instant," a phenomenon he had never witnessed in his 18 years in the Nigerian music industry.
Looking back, Tec credits the enduring success of their partnership not just to their professional synergy, but to Tems’ character.
"Of all the artistes that I’ve ever worked with in my life, Tems has the biggest heart out of all of them," he praised, citing countless acts of generosity.
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