(RCA)
The Lagos-born singer’s rocket-fuelled rise to stardom continues on a debut album peppered with swaggering bangers
Temilade Openiyi’s three-year rise from Lagos buzz to international contender has been vertiginous. The vocalist/producer has already scored one Grammy, plus further Grammy and Oscar nominations for her work with Future, Beyoncé and Rihanna.
After two well-received EPs, Tems’s debut album drops with 18-track swagger and a tiny handful of guests – the most extraordinary among them Lauryn Hill, on the standout T-Unit. Born in the Wild runs a little long, but it makes good on Tems’s early promise as a thoughtful writer who retains her voice and Nigerian aesthetic – alté, Afrobeats – while feeling right at home in US soul/R&B.