Five Takeaways from Tems’ Debut Album, ‘Born in the Wild’
Tems’ ‘Born in the Wild’ is a sprawling statement of her strong-willed character, with an evident R&B core and profound moments of self-exploration.
Five years ago, Temsset Nigerian music alight with her now-immortal anthem of defiance, “Try Me.” She hollered and she billowed, her all-consuming angst sweeping through listeners’ ears and instantly leaving an indelible impression. Today, she’s a global star, still resolute as ever in her music, but the charisma has been amplified to Grammy-winning, international chart-topping proportions.
Tems’ debut album, Born in the Wild, is a sprawling statement of her strong-willed character. It’s an album that was several years in the making, after all. Across its eighteen tracks, the Lagos-raised singer weighs the mythical allure of her rise to stardom against her personal growth and career potential. Of course, her resolve wins out but she opens herself just enough to give us a glimpse beyond the mystique of being a widely beloved artist.
Inching close to an hour of run time, Born in the Wild is meant to simmer and reward multiple listens. However, there are qualities that are immediately clear on first listen. Here are five early takeaways from the long-awaited Tems debut album.
Tems is just getting started
There has been a lot of waiting for Tems’ first full-length, stretching back to the aftermath of her second EP, If Orange Was A Place, in 2021. That’s partly due to being one of the most exciting and lauded breakout artists in the world since her arrival, but also because the audience wants further justification of the hype.
While there isn’t much she can control about external reactions, a standout point is that Tems doesn’t only believe in her own hype, she’s self-assured of her longevity. That’s the central theme of the early highlight, “Ready,” where she renews her commitment to authenticity because it’s what got her here and what will keep her growing forward.
“Yeah, I’m ready for the game and I’m bound to win / You know they wanting more when they speak on me,” she sings to open the song’s second verse. On the titular opener, a solemn soliloquy, she proclaims, “The world is mine…the time is now.” Declarations like these are littered across the album, none more pointed than, “Three years and I’m only gettin’ started,” on “Wickedest.”
Tears? Tems only does triumph
In the middle of Born in the Wild, Tems delivers one of the most striking lines she’s ever sung: “Maybe it’s fortunate you’re unfortunate.” It’s the kind of dismissing line that you can hear throwing its recipient into an emotional whirlwind, a “boy, bye!” laser that cuts incredibly deep. She’s read a manipulative partner on one of her biggest solo songs, but this time she’s reading this person for filth and she’s doing it over gently smoldering production.
On her debut album, Tems is the author and finisher of her romantic situations. She makes the rules and she’s quick with the scissors if things aren’t going well for her. Maybe the one-sidedness is a tiny bit toxic on her part, as it plays out on the J. Cole-assisted “Free Fall,” but Tems will not suffer being tested. She fantasizes about asphyxiating a guy who “raise(s) my blood pressure,” in the rather thin “Boy O Boy.” It’s not exactly “Kill Bill”-level enthralling, but it makes a mark at least for the line, “I wonder how I loved a thing like you.”
A soulful R&B core with some color around
Primarily, Born in the Wild is an R&B album, an amorphous one, or a “Progressive R&B” album by Grammy standards. Along with the pre-released singles, “Me & U” and “Love Me Jeje,” Tems’ debut album has its moments of groovy sonic choices, like the dancehall cut “Wickedest,” which features a sample of “1er Gaou,” the evergreen Zouglou banger by Ivorian band Magic System, and “Get it Right” with Asake, which puts a minimalist spin on Nigerian-adapted amapiano.
However, the majority of Born in the Wild is defined by earthy arrangements with steady movement and plenty of easy feel. Some of that is due to Tems handling a sizable portion of production duties on the album by herself, co-helming several tracks with frequent collaborator Guiltybeatz. On the ruminative “Running,” Tems’ voice is given a soft cushion amongst gentle piano and simple, thudding drums.
The Guilty-produced “Unfortunate” has an Afro-Cuban flavor thanks to the addition of conga drums but, like the more composite R&B tracks like “Free Fall” and “Turn Me Up,” it’s in service of a soulful musical atmosphere.
The profound voice of community
On her debut EP, ‘For Broken Ears’, Tems’ mum made an appearance where she talks about the origin of the singer’s name, Témìládè, and how it was a special choice from the jump. On her debut album, Mama Openiyi makes a return on “Special Child (Interlude),” this time as a profound voice to stamp out any doubts from her daughter’s head.
Resonant words of positivity from Tems’ managers Muyiwa Awoniyi and Wale Davies are compiled on “Voices in My Head,” and these interludes show that those closest to her aren’t just rooting for her success as an artist, but also her growth as a person. “You know your only responsibility is to say truth, right? Like subjective truth,” Awoniyi says. You can hear it all over Born in the Wild that Tems is, indeed, singing her truth.
The self-exploration continues
Tems is not short on self-confidence but that doesn’t mean she’s done evolving. The quest for a higher self takes up some space on Born in the Wild. “I grew up in the wilderness / didn’t know much about openness,” she sings on the opener. For an artist who builds songs around relatable sentiments, Tems’ preference for emotive lines in every lyric sounds bigger, cuts deeper and resonates stronger. The entirety of “Burning” is proof, a sublime piece of self-introspection where the ultimate submission — “I believe in me” — feels earned. Tems keeps growing forward.