After years of global acclaim, Grammy wins, and unforgettable features, Tems is finally ready to tell her own story — on her own terms. With the upcoming release of her debut album Born in the Wild, the Nigerian singer-songwriter steps boldly into the spotlight, ready to shake off labels, expectations, and any lingering doubts about her place in music’s evolving canon.
Due out June 7 via Since ’93/RCA Records, Born in the Wild feels less like a debut and more like an initiation. Tems isn’t introducing herself; she’s revealing the version of her that has survived the wilderness. “It’s about my experience as me,” she recently told Apple Music 1 — and that framing makes all the difference. This isn’t the glossy R&B coming-of-age story that debut albums often promise. Instead, it’s the sound of a woman who has already lived through the storm, documenting the beauty and the bruises.
If the lead single “Love Me JeJe” is any indication, Born in the Wild will be as emotionally rich as it is sonically layered. Tems’ interpolation of Seyi Sodimu’s 1997 Afro-R&B staple isn’t just nostalgic—it’s defiant. In reclaiming the iconic refrain, she transforms “je je” into an anthem of softness that resists the world’s harshness. Love me gently, she sings — but there’s steel beneath her vulnerability.
That duality — soft and fierce, wounded and wise — has always defined Tems’ music. We saw it on If Orange Was a Place, in her hypnotic collaborations with Drake, Wizkid, and Future, and in the soaring restraint of “Me & U” and “Not an Angel.” But Born in the Wild seems poised to deepen that palette. It’s a full-length exploration of her identity, not just as a voice of Afrobeats fusion, but as an architect of new emotional terrain.
Tems’ choice to self-direct her video and include the original “Love Me JeJe” artist as a cameo speaks volumes about her ethos. She’s not interested in simply mining the past — she’s honoring it, reinterpreting it, and embedding it in her personal mythology. There’s a reverence here that many artists skip in favor of trend-chasing. Tems plays the long game.
And if the album is her story, then the Born in the Wild World Tour is the altar she’s building to share it. The global trek, beginning in London on June 12 and stretching across Europe, North America, Australia, Africa, and Asia, reads like a victory lap — but it also feels more sacred than celebratory. With support from rising talents like Naomi Sharon and Lekan, the tour becomes a spiritual experience, not just a series of performances.
In an era where virality often trumps vision, Tems is taking the scenic route. Born in the Wild isn’t just an album title — it’s a declaration that growth isn’t linear and healing is anything but soft. Tems has never chased the spotlight; she’s let it find her. Now, as she walks out of the wilderness, she’s not just ready — she’s radiant.
