Tems Named Africa’s Best-Selling Female Artist

Nigerian singer Temilade Openiyi, popularly known as Tems, has officially become the best-selling female African artist of all time.

Since launching her music career in 2018, Tems has achieved a level of commercial success that surpasses industry icons such as Angelique Kidjo, Tiwa Savage, and Yemi Alade, according to chart and certification data.

The Grammy-winning artist has now sold over 25 million units worldwide, solidifying her place as the most commercially successful female artist from Africa.

Among her major sales milestones:

• “Essence” (with Wizkid)—5×Platinum in the U.S. (5 million units)

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• “Wait For U” (with Future and Drake) – 3× Platinum in the U.S. (3 million units)

• “Free Mind”—2× ”Platinum in the U.S. (2 million units)

• “Higher” – Platinum in the U.S. (1 million units)

Tems also boasts multiple Platinum and Gold certifications across several countries, including the UK, Canada, France, Switzerland, New Zealand, Australia, Belgium, and South Africa.

Despite this groundbreaking achievement, Tems still trails behind the top-selling African artists overall. Cheb Khaled of Algeria remains the highest-selling African artist, with 81 million units sold, followed by Nigerian Afrobeats star Wizkid, who has sold 75 million units globally.