Grammy-award-winning singer Tems has opened up about how her music categorisation, making it clear that she does not consider herself an Afrobeats artiste.
The Nigerian singer, who identifies her sound as R&B, expressed frustration with the global music industry’s tendency to label almost every sound from Africa as Afrobeats, regardless of the music’s actual genre or style.
According to Tems, blogs and other media platforms frequently describe her songs as Afrobeats simply because she is an African artiste.
She said: “I’m not an Afrobeats artiste. When I release my music, I classify it as R&B, but blogs keep calling it Afrobeats. I’ve noticed that any music that comes out of Africa is automatically categorised as Afrobeats.”
Tems has built an impressive international career while maintaining a distinctive sound that sets her apart from many of her contemporaries.
Her music has earned her global recognition and collaborations with several international stars.