Tems EssentialsTems was born in Lagos in 1996. At school she was noticed by her music teacher and she learnt the piano. She would practice singing with her brother's guitar accompaniment. She attended Dowen College in Lekki and studied and graduated in economics in Johannesburg. In 2018 she recorded Mr Rebel - a song of her own composition. In 2020, DJ Edu chose her as one of "ten artists to watch" that year. She was recruited that year by American singer Khalid to join him and fellow Nigerian Davido on an Afrobeats remix of "Know Your Worth".