Nigerian singer and songwriter Tems has opened up about how her music is often categorised, making it clear that she does not consider herself an Afrobeats artiste.
The Grammy-winning singer expressed her frustration over the tendency to label almost every sound coming from Africa as Afrobeats, regardless of the actual genre or style of the music.
According to Tems, she personally identifies her sound as R&B whenever she releases new music.
However, she said blogs and other media platforms frequently describe her songs as Afrobeats simply because she is an African artiste.
She said: “I’m not an Afrobeats artiste. When I release my music, I classify it as R&B, but blogs keep calling it Afrobeats. I’ve noticed that any music that comes out of Africa is automatically categorised as Afrobeats.”
Over the years, Afrobeats has become a widely recognised global term, particularly as Nigerian and other African artistes continue to achieve international success.
However, Tems’ statement highlights the fact that African artistes explore a wide range of musical genres, including R&B, soul, hip-hop, dancehall, alternative music and pop.
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While Afrobeats has played a significant role in taking African music to a global audience, some artistes have expressed concerns that the term is sometimes used too broadly.
Tems has built an impressive international career while maintaining a distinctive sound that sets her apart from many of her contemporaries.
Her music has earned her global recognition and collaborations with several international stars.