Nigerian singer/songwriter Tems is launching a new radio show in conjunction with Apple Music 1 called Leading Vibe Radio, which will air biweekly on the service beginning April 2, Apple confirmed Thursday (March 31).
The new show, which will air every other Saturday at 10 a.m. ET and be available on demand, will feature the rising artist along with her two co-hosts: her co-manager Muyiwa Awoniyi and her older brother Tunji Paul.
“Leading Vibe Radio is really aimed at talking about real things, shining a light on women, artists and creatives that are finding their way, finding their voice and talking about how to be good soil — something that greatness can grow out of,” Tems said about the impetus behind the show. “Africa is the source, so pay attention. There are many leading vibes and it’s about all of us collectively coming together to lead the vibe — that’s Africa to the world.”
Tems broke out into the mainstream in the past year with her featured contribution on Wizkid’s “Essence,” which reached No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 last October. But she’s also made waves with her first two EPs, 2020’s For Broken Ears and last year’s If Orange Was a Place, and also was featured on Drake’s last album, Certified Lover Boy, on the track “Fountains.” And her impact is apparent on Billboard’s inaugural U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart, released this week, where she landed eight songs on the 50-spot chart, including three in the top 10.
“We have been huge fans of Tems’ music since we first heard her debut single ‘Mr Rebel’ back in 2018 and met her in Lagos in December 2019,” says Karl Anderson, head of music Africa at Apple Music. “We have supported her music through our various global editorial campaigns including Africa Rising in 2020, through to our global Up Next program in September 2021, and it’s exciting to see how her music is resonating with our subscribers around the world. We can’t wait for the world to tune into Tems’ new Apple Music radio show and discover one of the most important African voices of her generation.”
That debut single “Mr. Rebel” is also the source of the name of Tems’ show, Leading Vibe, which is pulled from the track’s lyrics. “I don’t know why or how that phrase came into my song,” she says about it. “Afterwards I realized that it came for a reason, and Leading Vibe is really what it says: leading the vibe and creating opportunities for people, creating an alternative and helping people navigate life. It’s helping people to become leaders, helping people to find their own voice, their own sound, their own thing and to get the best of life.”
Tems’ Leading Vibe Radio joins a growing list of artist-led Apple Music 1 radio shows that have come from the service, formerly known as Beats 1; other shows have been led by the likes of Elton John, Lil Wayne, Billie Eilish, Lady Gaga and Nicki Minaj, among others.
“We’ve been captivated by Tems’ mystique since she emerged as a new artist three years ago and now with her new radio show we’ll be granted access to the mind behind the music,” Apple Music 1’s lead cultural curator of Black music in the U.K. Dotty said in a statement. “Tems is undoubtedly one of the most exciting new artists since the turn of the decade and it’s a huge honor to have her join the Apple Music family.”