Fresh from being venerated at the BET awards, bagging a VMA nomination and features on both Beyoncé’s latest masterwork ‘Renaissance’ and the soundtrack of Marvel’s forthcoming tentpole release Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Tems concluded her UK tour with a sold out show at London’s KOKO. Her crossover success in the last few years is a testimony to the permeability of her artistry across borders and genres; her grace and earnest soulfulness a welcome deviation from the throng of glossy counterfeits that flood our airwaves and screens.
An assembly of devotees pack the floor and tiered balconies of the Camden venue. When the Nigerian singer saunters onto the stage adorned in a feathered silver dress, glistening like a glitterball phoenix under muted lighting (a neat nod to the venue’s disco ball decor), her understated demeanour complements her poise and proficiency in performance mode. An audience made up of faithful fans and romantics lavish their star with feverish singalongs as she segues through signature hit ‘Higher’ into the sophisti-sway of ‘Avoid Things’ and ‘Damages’, her resonant, silken voice never once floundering under the weight of live instrumentation.
‘Vibe Out’, from 2021 project ‘If Orange Was A Place’, is given a vibrant, spirited lift with rolling drums matching the pace of Tems’ fluid movement on stage: part private dancer, part afro-swing hype-woman. The set’s most powerful juncture arrives midway through with ‘Interference’, a tale of volatile love made devotional with Tems’ pining vocal reverberating out across the floor and into the venue’s peripheries. The positioning of gospel, faith and family in her life anchors the set. Through song and ad-hoc dialogue with her audience she conveys the magnitude of the occasion: in a palpably emotional moment she shares this show is the first time her Mother has seen her live. A tear was shed.
Tems hasn’t released an original solo song this year. That she continues to connect with audiences around the world is a testament to the strength of her existing source material. Whilst a preview of a new era would have been a welcome addition, her ability to breathe new life into songs that have lived in the consciousness of her fans outside of her native Nigeria is praiseworthy.
The Tems takeover continues.
Words: Shahzaib Hussain
