Muyiwa Awoniyi, the manager of the Grammy-winning Nigerian singer Temilade Openiyi, widely known as Tems, recounts how she rose to stardom from incredibly modest beginnings, with only ₦200 in her bank account when they met.
Muyiwa made the heartfelt revelation during a recent episode of the Afrobeats Intelligence podcast, where he recounted the early days of his friendship and eventual business partnership with the now globally celebrated artist.
“Back then when I was doing my podcast, she would just be sitting down while me and my cousin were talking. Obviously, she wasn’t financially buoyant in any capacity. When I met Tems, she only had about 200 Naira in her account,” Muyiwa shared.
Despite her financial struggles at the time, Muyiwa was struck by Tems’ generosity.
“If I had money, I would buy food. But another thing that shocked me was that even though she didn’t have money, she would order food for us. She didn’t even have a way of earning. So, I just realised that she is different from everyone I have seen in Nigeria,” he said.
Muyiwa recalled how her professionalism and desire to formalise their collaboration prompted him to propose something bigger than a standard management deal.
“When she asked me to be her manager, I agreed and said I would send her a contract to sign. We had already verbally agreed on everything. You know, when you present paperwork for artists to sign, it’s always tricky. But she was chasing me to sign my own part. And I have never experienced that before,” he explained.
“I was like, ‘You don’t mind signing paperwork? Hold on, let’s not do this. You’re someone I can rock with for life. Let’s start a company,’” Muyiwa added.
The two had been friends for three months before ever discussing work, but their shared vision and respect for each other laid the foundation for a powerful creative partnership, one that has since propelled Tems to the global stage, where she is now recognized as one of the leading voices in Afrobeats and R&B.
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