Billboard honours Tems with Diamond Award at Global Power Players event in London
Tems has added another major milestone to her career, receiving the Diamond Award at Billboard’s first Global Power Players event in London alongside legends like Sir Elton John.
Celebrated for her global impact, Tems praised Billboard’s role in spotlighting African music, reaffirming her place as the most-awarded African artist in Billboard history.
Grammy-winning Nigerian singer Temilade Openiyi, popularly known as Tems, was among the celebrated honorees at the first-ever Billboard Global Power Players event held on Wednesday at Shoreditch House in East London.
Tems was honored alongside music icon Sir Elton John and EMPIRE founder/CEO Ghazi Shami. She was presented with the prestigious Diamond Award by Billboard Africa’s incoming editor, Nkosiyati Khumalo.
In her acceptance speech, Tems expressed gratitude and reflected on the growing influence of African music on the global stage. “Being African and a musician is a whole new world, and I feel like Billboard has been incredibly supportive not just of African music, but of the entire scene and culture,” she said. “This is truly a great honor, especially at a time when African music is reaching unprecedented heights. Billboard is definitely one of the key players helping push the movement forward.”
Sir Elton John received the Creators’ Champion Award, and Ghazi Shami was honored with the Clive Davis Visionary Award. Nigerian music star and YBNL Nation boss, Olamide, had the honor of presenting the award to Shami.
The event also saw the launch of Billboard’s first ever UK Power Players chart, spotlighting influential figures in the British music industry.
Tems continues to break barriers as a global music powerhouse. She holds the record as the most-awarded African artist in Billboard’s history. In 2023, she made headlines as the first Nigerian woman to be honored at Billboard’s Women in Music event, further cementing her status as a trailblazer in the international music scene.
