Lagos-born singer Tems has seen a meteoric rise over the past year in the wake of the release of her September EP, For Broken Ears. Since then, she’s received co-signs from one of her home country’s biggest stars, Wizkid, appearing on his summer-of-2021 single “Essence” and its remix with Justin Bieber, and of perennially precognitive talent scout Drake, landing a feature on “Fountains” from his new album Certified Lover Boy.
Now, she’s been selected as Apple Music’s latest Up Next artist, just in time to commemorate the release of her newest EP If Orange Was A Place, released Tuesday via Since ’93 and RCA Records. The five-song release includes the song “Found” with American R&B counterpart Brent Faiyaz (a rising star in his own right) and showcases her unique vocals, songwriting, and production style. She relates the album to “the feeling of sunset and the sweetness of an orange” in its description on Apple Music and delves into the impact her oncoming stardom has had on her in both the documentary and an insightful interview with Apple Music’s Nadeska, which you can watch below.
Watch the trailer for Tems’ Apple Music Up Next documentary up top and catch the full video (and listen to the new EP) here.