Grammy-winning singer Temilade Openiyi, popularly known as Tems, is calling on the world to move beyond stereotypes and discover the true essence of Africa—starting with Nigeria and Ghana.
Speaking to Fashion Bomb Daily at the 2025 Met Gala in New York, Tems urged foreigners to visit Lagos and Ghana to experience life in Africa firsthand.
“I always encourage people to go to Lagos and Ghana for vacation,” she said. “Just go and see for yourself before forming an opinion [about Africa]. See it for yourself and see how you feel.”
Tems emphasised that Africa’s beauty is rooted in its creativity and cultural richness. “I think it’s in the creativity, the daily efforts, the looks, the songs, the traditions and the cultures,” she said.
She also addressed the misconception that African music is limited to Afrobeats, highlighting its diversity.
“We [Africans] can go further in every single aspect of sound. We are not just Afrobeats. There is Amapiano, Afrosoul, R&B, Afro Jazz. There are so many genres in African music that people are not all the way tapped into yet,” she explained.
