Tems reveals her alternative career path before music, sharing she might have become an accountant or math teacher before global fame

Award-winning Nigerian singer Temilade Openiyi, popularly known as Tems, has revealed the career she might have pursued if music had not transformed her life.

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During an interactive session with fans on X, Tems was asked what she would have done had music not worked. She replied, “I might have been an accountant or a mathematics teacher,” surprising many followers familiar with her creative talents in Afrobeats.

Tems’ journey into music was not planned from childhood. Before her rise to fame, she worked as a digital marketer, resigning in January 2018 to pursue music full-time.

That decision led to a breakthrough collaboration with Wizkid on Essence in 2020, a track that later charted on the Billboard Hot 100 after a remix featuring Justin Bieber.

The singer made global headlines in February when she won her second Grammy at the 2025 awards, taking home Best African Music Performance for Love Me JeJe.

She also received nominations for Best Global Music Album and Best R&B Song, cementing her status as one of Nigeria’s most recognised international artistes.

In November, Tems released a surprise EP titled Love Is a Kingdom, blending Afrobeats, alt-R&B, and her signature introspective sound.

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Her revelation about a possible alternative career highlights how close she came to a very different life before music became her defining path.