- Afrobeats singer Asha Gangali heaped accolades on Tems for winning a Grammy with Seyi Sodimu’s classic that she sampled, Love Me Jeje
- Asha shared with TheTalk.NG what Tems’ win meant to Afrobeats, especially the female artists
- The Helloeh singer explained the economic and creative benefits of sampling or modifying old classic songs
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The 67th annual Grammy Awards was held on Sunday, February 2, and Nigerian singer Temilade Openiyi, Tems won a trophy for the African Music Performance with her song Love Me Jeje.
The two-time Grammy winner has been receiving accolades from far and wide for her success as she beats Asake, Yemi Alade, Davido, Burna Boy, Wizkid, Asake, and others.
Celebrating her further, TheTalk.NG reached out to Afrobeat singer Asha Gangali who aside from being a singer is a producer and talent hunt expert.
Grammy 2025: Afrobeats singer Asha Gangali claims Tems and her producer found the gem in ‘Love Me Jeje’. Photos: temsbaby, ashagangali, sadeaduSource: Instagram
Tems’ Grammy win is exceptional
Asha Gangali was full of praises of Tems for making Nigeria proud on the global stage and selling Afrobeats to the world. He spoke about the exceptionalism of the Love Me Jeje singer.
“What’s exceptional about this particular Grammy win is that Tems won in a category that features Nigeria’s big three in Afrobeats genre; Burna Boy, Big Wiz and Davido.”
Tems’ win shakes Afrobeats’ hierarchy
“It shows that the Academy recognized Tems’ global success and positioning, especially how she managed to penetrate the North American mainstream market while maintaining her original style and sound.
Even though the big three all had impactful releases and outings in the year in review, 2024. Tems’ Grammy win has shaken the hierarchy of Afrobeats as we know it.”
Tems as modern-day Sade Adu
Asha, who is the founder of Roc Da Mic Africa, a talent search platform that first saw the raw talents in stars like Wande Coal, Timaya, Soul E, Konga and many other great artists compares Tems to Sade Adu, the Nigerian-British singer. He said:
“Tems is a modern-day Sade Adu, period. Her win will open the doors for Afrobeats artists. It’s a great time to be a female Afrobeats artist!”
Tems sampling Seyi Sodimu’s Love Me Jeje
Gangali who had served as an executive member of the board of directors of the Musical Copyright Society of Nigeria (MCSN) and as national treasurer of the Performing Musicians Employers Association of Nigeria (PMAN) rated Seyi Sodimu’s Love Me Jeje a gem and classic Afrobeats song while praising Tems and her team for modifying it.
“Tems won the recent Grammy with Love Me Jeje, an adaptation of a classic Afrobeats song performed by the Iconic Seyi Sodimu, it’s a brilliant record which showcases Tems’ wide range of musical influence, hard work and versatility.
“Tems and her producer must have been “digging in the crates” before finding the gem, Love Me Jeje.”
Sampling classic songs is common practice
Asha who started singing while in the US noted that sampling of songs is a common practice but might be new to Afrobeats. He expatiates the economic and creative gains of it.
“Sampling or modifying classic hit records is a common practice in hip-hop and other genres, but it is not a common phenomenon in Afrobeats music, perhaps because Afrobeats is still growing. What Tems has done is draw the attention of the entire global music industry to the numerous classic Afrobeats hit songs that have been long forgotten.
Economic and creative advantages of song sampling
The Hello Eh singer expatiates the economic and creative gains of sampling or modifying classic songs.
“This single act will revive lots of music catalogues of Afrobeats hits from the 90s and 2000s, and that’s just looking at it from the economic perspective.
“From a creative standpoint, Tems is a music genius, the way she delivered smoothly like Sade Adu in her prime is unforgettable, no wonder she wrote a hit song that was performed by Rihanna.
Seyi Sodimu recounts Love Me Jeje’s rejection
In a previous report by TheTalk.NG, US-based Nigerian singer Seyi Sodimu in an old video explained that his hit song ‘Love Me Jeje’ was rejected in Los Angeles when he released it because it sounded too African.
The old clip resurfaced shortly after Tems won a Grammy award for Best African Music Performance with ‘Love Me Jeje’ having sampled the old classic.
Back home, the song became an anthem at weddings.
Source: TheTalk.NG
