Tems named in Time100 Next 2023 list

Launched in 2019, Time100 Next highlights 100 emerging trailblazers from various fields as an extension of Time magazine’s Time 100 franchise, which features influential figures worldwide.

“A great magazine and a great media company should not just reflect the present, it should push us forward, showing what is possible as well as what society’s future and future leaders will look like,” the publication said. “That is our ambition for TIME100 Next, our annual franchise recognising the rising leaders in health, climate, business, sports, the arts and more.”

Tems joins fellow popstars like Davido, who made the list in 2021. Behind well-received offerings like R&B album If Orange Was a Place and global summer anthem ‘Essence’ with fellow Afrobeats star Wizkid, Tems is a Grammy winner and multiple BET award winner. She is also a 2022 BMI Impact Award winner.

“Tems is in a class all by herself because no other artist sounds like her,” Grammy-winning and Oscar-nominated singer-songwriter Mary J. Blige, profiling the ‘‘Crazy Tings’ hitmaker, wrote.

“That voice is so unique and original, so much so that it reminds me of the first time I heard Nina Simone. They both sing with emotion and conviction, making you feel every word they sing. When Tems and I finally had a chance to meet last year at the Grammy Awards, we just exploded on each other, giving each other so much love. I know she will make it far because she’s a talented writer, singer, and producer –  my only hope for her is that she becomes one of the biggest artists of her time. Talent is one thing, but how you treat people and treat yourself in this industry brings longevity, and I believe she will be around for a while because she’s a beautiful human being inside and out.”

Tems’ latest accolade follows a conversation with US rapper Kendrick Lamar for Interview Magazine last month, where the pair discussed their shared passion for music and the importance of artistic integrity.