The Nigerian star Tems finally only just released her official debut album Born In The Wild last year, but she’s already racked up a ton of accomplishments. She’s got a couple of Grammys, an Oscar nomination, and a #1 Hot 100 hit on her résumé. In the past few months, she’s appeared on records with people like Justin Bieber and Dave. Today, Tems follows Born In The Wild with Love Is A Kingdom, a new EP that arrives with no advance notice.
Tems wrote and produced all seven tracks on Love Is A Kingdom almost entirely by herself, and the EP has no featured guests, so this is Tems as auteur. She covers a lot of ground over 19 minutes, moving from thumping, percolating club music to the closing acoustic ballad “Is There A Reason.” Her vocals are extremely smooth and strong throughout, and she’s developed an intimacy in her phrasing that sometimes reminds me of Sade. This is a good one. Stream the Love Is A Kingdom EP below.
The Love Is A Kingdom EP is out now on Since ’93/RCA.
