| Born in the Wild | |
| Cover: | Tems - Born in the Wild album cover.jpg |
| Type: | studio |
| Artist: | Tems |
| Recorded: | 2021–2024 |
| Genre: | R&B[1] Afrobeats[2] |
| Length: | 54:26 |
| Label: |
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| Producer: |
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| Prev Title: | If Orange Was a Place |
| Prev Year: | 2021 |
Born in the Wild is the debut studio album by Nigerian singer Tems.[3] [4] It was released on 7 June 2024, via RCA Records and Since '93. The album was supported by the singles "Me & U", "Love Me JeJe" and "Burning". Born in the Wild features guest appearances from J. Cole and Asake. Its production was handled by Tems, GuiltyBeatz, Sarz, P2J, London, Spax, and DameDame. In promotion of the album, Tems will embark on the Born in the Wild Tour.[5] [6] [7] [8]
The album was a commercial success reaching the top thirty in the UK, Netherlands and Switzerland. In the US, it peaked at fifty-six becoming the highest peak for an album by a Nigerian female artist.[9] The album received a nomination at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards for Best Global Music Album.[10] [11]
In 2020, Tems independently released her debut extended play For Broken Ears. That same year, she signed with RCA Records and released her second extended play, If Orange Was a Place. In 2021, Tems received international recognition after being featured on Wizkid's "Essence" single. Shortly afterwards, her song "Free Mind", from her debut EP For Broken Ears, impacted Rhythmic contemporary radio as a single and charted in the United States. She further achieved success with her collaborations with Future on "Wait for U" alongside Drake, Beyoncé on "Move" alongside Grace Jones and as a songwriter on Rihanna's "Lift Me Up", the latter earned her an Academy Award and Golden Globe Award nominations.[12]
In a tweet in 2022, Tems announced that her debut studio album was scheduled for release in 2023. The album was delayed for unknown reasons with Tems teasing the album and instead releasing two singles "Me & U" and "Not an Angel", which marked her first solo music output since 2021 excluding her cover of Bob Marley's "No Woman, No Cry" for the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack.[13] [14] In March 2024, Tems told Billboard magazine that the album has been completed and that it would released in 2024.[15] [16] Shortly afterwards, a private listening session for the album was held in Lagos, Nigeria and later Los Angeles and London.[17] While performing at her debut Coachella set in April, Tems officially announced that the album was ready and performed a rendition of "Love Me JeJe", an unreleased song off the album.[18] A day later, the album's title and release window of May was revealed along with a trailer, which featured a snippet of the title track.
"Love Me JeJe" was released on 26 April 2024 as the first single off the album. A few weeks later, Tems officially announced the release date of 7 June 2024.[19] In May, Tems appeared on the American late-night talk show The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in May 2024, her debut appearance on the series to promote the album, performing a medley of "Love Me JeJe" and the album's title track "Born in the Wild".[20] Tems further appeared on NPR Tiny Desk Concert to promote the album performing the then unreleased song "Unfortunate" and "Forever" from the album.[21]
Born in the Wild received high ratings across major publications both in Africa and globally for Tems' vocal delivery. NME gave the album a 100 rating stating that "From Highlife to hip-hop, this stunning debut exemplifies West Africa's rich musical diversity via the Beyoncé and Drake collaborator's fluid approach to genre."[22] Robin Murray reviewing for Clash noted that "Closing with" Hold On", this is a rich, velvet-smooth experience, and you're left to wonder who her peers truly are. The magnificence of Lauryn Hill? The success of Sade? Tems is out there in a lane of her own."[23] Pitchfork wrote that "On her adventurous and melancholic full-length debut, the Nigerian pop star re-asserts herself as an imaginative producer and the author of her own lore."[24]
Sample credits
Vocalists
Production
Engineering
| Peak position | |
| Australian Hip Hop/R&B Albums (ARIA)[25] | 31 |
|---|---|
| French Albums (SNEP)[26] | 74 |
| Nigerian Albums (TurnTable)[27] | 3 |