LAGOS, Nigeria(VOICE OF NAIJA)-Grammy-winning Nigerian singer Temilade Openiyi, popularly known as Tems, was among the distinguished honorees at Billboard’s inaugural “Global Power Players” event, held at Shoreditch House in East London.
Tems received the prestigious “Diamond Award”, presented by incoming Billboard Africa editor Nkosiyati Khumalo.
She was honored alongside music legend Sir Elton John, who accepted the “Creators’ Champion Award”.
Presenting the “Clive Davis Visionary Award”, Nigerian YBNL label boss Olamide, presented it to EMPIRE founder and CEO Ghazi Shami.
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In her heartfelt acceptance speech, Tems reflected on the global rise of African music, and expressed gratitude to Billboard for being supportive.
In her words,
“Being African and a musician is a whole new world, and I feel like Billboard has been so supportive, not just of African music but the entire scene and culture,”
“This is a really great honor, especially given that African music is reaching heights it’s never seen before, and Billboard is one of the key players moving that needle forward.”
The event also marked the launch of Billboard’s first-ever “U.K. Power Players” chart, spotlighting key industry figures shaping the global music landscape.
Tems continues to break barriers in the international music scene, remaining the most-awarded African artist in Billboard history and, in 2023, becoming the first Nigerian woman honored at Billboard’s “Women in Music” event.
