Nigerian singer Tems has clarified how she classifies her music, insisting that she is an R&B artiste and not an Afrobeats artiste.
Tems said she has consistently described her music as R&B whenever she releases songs, but claimed that blogs often attach the Afrobeats label to her work simply because she is an African artiste.
“I’m not an Afrobeats artist. I classify my music as R&B everytime I release music, but blogs keep calling it Afrobeats. I’ve noticed that any music that comes out of Africa is automatically categorized as Afrobeats,” Tems said.
Her comments have sparked a debate online, with some Nigerians arguing that her music contains elements of Afrobeats while others supported her position that African music is often placed under one broad label.
Reacting, @AbasKendrix: “She better not forget Nigerians gave her the spotlight”
@ISHOLA331392: “Once them blow there are no longer Afro beat ! Tems na Judas”
@_udemezue: “Lol r and B, I pity this lady’s career. Her team is going to ruin her, you are going to have issue breaking barrier with that genre.”
@moolah79: “In an objective view it is Alte-AFROsoul,R & B…” It’s very clear it’s a hybrid of Afrobeats. Tems in trying to deny it unwittingly admits there is still some vestiges of afrobeats in her song.”
@xxyettymamaxx: “Her breakout song with Wizkid ‘Essence’ is Afrobeat. What is rnb is love me jeje? She is more of pop than R&B.”
@temitopex_o: “Not your music Tems but you yourself .. don’t lose your identity over European validity those people don’t really care”
@Adinarichie1: “Because the artist is African and coming from Africa too. So it’s classified as African beat… Afrobeat.”
@Iamfreecastle: “This was what WizKid said then . The internet came for him. I don’t know why people don’t understand that those people are tryna box us with the term “afrobeats””
@ayinla_ayodele: “No wahala babe we love you like that so long u sing in insobusobu”
@GunnersReplay: “But you don’t really sound like a proper R&B artist. Your sound leans more toward modern Fuji than R&B, honestly.”
@ideal56567: “You are far from r and b miss tems”
@Mubaraqshehu_: “Conversion successfully done now all that remains is denouncing citizenship”
@HenryJohns92507: “No be your fault”
@BilyBilyboy: “Tems don distance her self”
@VICtorNV47: “Why’s are nose always shining”
@C__opher: “They called WizKid a mad man”