During a recent interview, the Nigerian singer was asked how she would describe her music. Tems said she considers her sound alternative, while also describing it as a combination of Afro-soul and R&B.
“My music is alternative. Alté, as they would say. It’s alté, but yeah, in the world scope, in an objective view, it’s alternative Afro, soul, R&B.”
She explained that her music does not fit neatly into one category because it draws from different genres.
The singer also recalled that she did not initially understand the idea of assigning music to specific genres.
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“It’s like a mesh of different genres. I didn’t know about genres; I was just making music, so that’s why this is a bit weird.”
‘I’m not an Afrobeats artist’
Tems also addressed the way her music is labelled by blogs and music platforms.
She said she consistently classifies her releases as R&B, but feels that some publications automatically describe her music as Afrobeats because she is an African artist.
“I’m not an Afrobeats artist. When I release my music, I classify it as R&B, but blogs keep calling it Afrobeats.”
She added that she had noticed a wider tendency to group African music under the Afrobeats label.
Her comments reflect a debate around how African music is categorised internationally, particularly as artists from the continent continue to reach global audiences.
Tems has discussed the issue before
In a 2024 interview with the Recording Academy, she said people describe her as R&B, alternative or Afrobeats, but argued that artists should have the freedom to define their own sound.
Speaking to NPR around the release of her debut album Born in the Wild, Tems was described as an artist associated with Nigeria’s alté scene, a movement that blends R&B, Afrobeats, dancehall and other influences.
Her Grammy record also shows how difficult it can be to place her music in one category. Tems has received recognition in R&B, African music, global music and rap-related categories, including a win for Best African Music Performance for “Love Me JeJe” and Best Melodic Rap Performance for “WAIT FOR U” with Future and Drake.
For Tems, however, the labels appear less important than the freedom to make music that reflects her influences.
A sound that crosses genres
Her music has previously been described as a mixture of alternative R&B and contemporary Afrobeats, while her work has also drawn from soul, pop, jazz and other influences.
Rather than limiting herself to one sound, Tems appears comfortable with music that crosses boundaries while maintaining R&B as the classification she uses for her releases.
