[3][4] She rose to prominence after being featured on Wizkid's 2020 single "Essence", which peaked at number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart following the release of the remix version with Justin Bieber.

[9] Tems covered Bob Marley's "No Woman, No Cry" for the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack album in July 2022[10] and in the same month, her song "Free Mind" from her debut EP debuted on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 46 and breaking the female record for longest charting number one song on R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart.

At 11 years old, she joined her school choir and soon began singing in falsetto but was noticed by her music teacher who coached her and taught her how to play the piano.

She began to learn self production skills on YouTube[36] and on July 18th, 2018, she released her debut single, "Mr Rebel", a song which she produced by herself.

[41] On 23 April 2020, Tems was featured alongside fellow Nigerian singer Davido on a reworked version of American singer-songwriter Khalid and English electronic music duo Disclosure's single, "Know Your Worth".

On 30 October 2020, Tems was featured on fellow Nigerian singer Wizkid's single, "Essence", from the latter's fourth studio album, Made in Lagos.

[50] On 13 August 2021, a reworked version of "Essence", which contains an additional feature from Canadian singer Justin Bieber, was released, which propelled the song to reach number nine on the Billboard Hot 100.

On 3 September 2021, Tems was featured on Canadian rapper and singer Drake's song, "Fountains", from the latter's sixth studio album, Certified Lover Boy, which debuted at number 26 on the Hot 100.

[59] On 29 April 2022, Tems was featured alongside Drake on American rapper Future's single, "Wait for U", from the latter's ninth studio album, I Never Liked You.

[61] In July 2022, Tems covered Bob Marley's No Woman, No Cry for the Marvel movie Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack which she was credited alongside Rihanna.

[62][63][64] In July 2022, Tems was announced as a guest artist on Beyoncé's album Renaissance,[65] collaborating on the song "Move" with Grace Jones, becoming her fifth entry on the Hot 100.

[69][70] Ludwig Göransson, Rihanna, Ryan Coogler, and Tems were nominated at the 2023 Golden Globe Awards for "Best Original Song — Motion Picture" for "Lift Me Up" from the film Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

[82] The song marks Tems's first solo output since If Orange Was a Place, excluding her cover of Bob Marley's "No Woman, No Cry" which was released in 2022.

[88] The second single "Love Me JeJe" off the album was announced and previewed on Tems's debut Coachella set and was released on 25 April.

She listened to Destiny's Child, Beyoncé, Lil Wayne, and Aaliyah, and covered Alicia Keys' 2004 single, "If I Ain't Got You", in a live performance.

Growing up, she was also interested in artists such as Burna Boy, Lauryn Hill, Adele, Rihanna, Coldplay, Paramore, and Asa.

[95][35] On 14 December 2020, Tems was arrested alongside fellow Nigerian singer Omah Lay after they performed in a show in Uganda.