Tems was born by candlelight. “There was no electricity when my mom gave birth to me,” she told NPR. “It was night in my life for so long that I, for one, thought it would never come.” Twenty-eight years later, the Grammy-winning Nigerian artist is in the global spotlight. Born in the wild revisits the shadows with clarity and confidence. In her previous EPs, the Afro-fusion singer revealed her mesmerizing prowess. with her debut full-length, she reasserts herself as an imaginative producer and writer in her own tradition.
Tems remains her own songwriter, dealing with the pressures of stardom through a tender, melancholy exploration of pre-fame trauma. Each song evokes a kaleidoscope of emotions, but whether addressing a higher power (“Me & U”) or reflecting on an ill-fated romance (“Unfortunate”), Tems remains focused on gratitude. On the acoustic guitar opener and title track, her voice rises as if singing beside a dying fire, the piano glowing in the sky.
Distilling her music to its essence, Born in the wild opts for a stripped-down 90s vibe, giving Tems the peace to explore her innermost thoughts. Tems produced much of the LP alongside GuityBeatz, the Ghanaian Afropop DJ behind her 2021 EP If Orange were a place. The polyrhythmic soundscape, embellished with the earthy tones of conga drums, brass and shekere rattlers, provides a counterbalance to the homogenized sound of contemporary Afropop.
On songs like “Love Me JeJe” and the Diana King-interpolated “Gangsta,” he marries vintage African music with modern R&B, dancehall, and pop, writing a love letter to the past and a message for the future. The latter song is a sparkling revamp of Nigerian singer Seyi Sodimu's 1997 classic call-and-response: “All the old heads in Nigeria, they lol this song,” he said during a recent Tiny Desk concert. “Wickedest” features a sample from the Ivory Magic System quartet's “1er Gaou” – an iconic jungle beat from the early days that evokes memories for Africans everywhere.
Improper Tems settings look old and live. Accompanied by jazz fusion guitarist Nsikak David on 'Boy O Boy', she creates an atmosphere of solitude as luxurious as a velvet-adorned hotel lounge. On the standout “Burning,” she works her inner turmoil into a glowing song, letting her vocals become the music's luminous core. On “Forever,” which is produced by Brummie duo DAMEDAME* but sounds like a Kaytranada groove, Tems' bass timbre rises to a soaring falsetto reminiscent of a young Michael Jackson. She channels 50 Cent and Lauryn Hill for the hip-hop track “T-Unit,” showcasing her rap skills while staying true to the album's brooding mood.
