Nigerian Grammy-winning singer, Temilade Openiyi, popularly known as Tems, has achieved another historic milestone, becoming the first female African artist to sell over 10 million units in the United States.
Her chart-topping collaboration with American rapper Future and global superstar Drake, ‘Wait For U’, recently crossed the 10 million sales mark in the U.S., according to chart monitoring platform Chart Data. This achievement makes the track eligible for the coveted RIAA Diamond certification, a rare honor in the music industry.
Tems is now the second African artist ever to attain this level of commercial success in the U.S., following Wizkid, whose 2016 collaboration with Drake on ‘One Dance’ reached the same milestone.
The ‘Love Me Jeje’ hitmaker has also solidified her place as the best-selling female African artist in U.S. history, with several of her solo and collaborative records earning certifications. Among them are ‘Essence’ (with Wizkid and Justin Bieber), ‘Free Mind’, ‘Higher’, ‘Me & U’, and ‘Found’, which have all gone Platinum, multi-Platinum, or Gold.
Tems’ latest feat underscores her role in expanding the global reach of Afrobeats and R&B, further establishing her as one of the most influential African voices on the international stage.
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