Nigerian singer Tems cancels Kenya concert

By Wendy Sonye

Nigerian singer and songwriter Temilade Openiyi, popularly known by her stage name Tems, will not grace the ‘Tukutane Festival’ slated to take place on Saturday, October 15, 2022 at the Karen Waterfront.

The Afrobeats singer announced the upsetting news on her official Twitter page on Thursday, just nine days before the concert, stating that it was due to unavoidable circumstances, much to the dismay of fans.

“Honestly, it’s quite heartbreaking to say this but I will not be able to perform at the Tukutane Festival due to circumstances beyond my control,” she wrote

While hinting at possibly doing another concert in Kenya in the near future, Tems underscored that she is equally saddened by the development.

 “I am as disappointed as you all are but I look forward to coming and giving you a show that you deserve.”

Contrary to Tems’ statement, the ‘Tukutane Festival’ organisers have come out to allege that the artist turned down the gig even after being paid in full.

“We paid for Tems in full 15 days before the performance date and to our surprise as soon as the payment was made her manager mentioned that she is no longer comfortable coming to Kenya and just does not want to perform to her Kenya fans,” wrote the organisers on their official Twitter account.

Despite Tems' fans having purchased many tickets beforehand, the event organisers reassured them that all ticket purchases would be reimbursed as soon as possible.

“Kindly take note that everyone shall be refunded. We are currently rescheduling the Tukutane Festival to a later date," they stated.

Tems became famous after featuring on Nigerian artiste Wizkid’s 2020 single, "Essence" and Drake's song "Fountains" which both made it to the Billboard Hot 100 list.