“I Would Have Been a Mathematics Teacher If Not for Music” – Tems Opens Up on Her Hidden Passion for Numbers, Teaching, and the Pivot That Changed Her Life Forever

 Grammy-winning Nigerian singer, songwriter and producer Temilade Openiyi, globally celebrated as Tems, has revealed in a deeply personal interview that if music had never claimed her destiny, she would be standing in front of a classroom teaching Mathematics to secondary school students right now.

Speaking on the latest episode of Apple Music’s Africa Now Radio with host Nandi Madida, the reclusive superstar, known for her introspective lyricism and genre-defying sound, reflected on the fork in the road that defined her path:

“I was literally on the verge of becoming a Mathematics teacher. I had finished my degree in Economics at a university in South Africa, but I had already started applying to schools in Lagos to teach Maths. I love numbers. I love the logic, the certainty, the way everything just clicks when you understand it. There’s something peaceful about it. If music hadn’t pulled me so strongly, I would be in front of a blackboard somewhere in Surulere right now, wearing glasses and writing equations for JSS 3 students.”

Tems, who quietly graduated with a Second Class Upper in Economics from Monash South Africa (now IIE MSA) in Johannesburg in 2017, explained how her analytical mind and love for problem-solving still shape her artistry:

“People think I’m joking when I say I’m a nerd at heart, but music production is literally maths. Timing, frequencies, BPMs, harmonics, everything is numbers. When I’m layering vocals or deciding how many milliseconds of reverb to add, I’m doing calculations in my head. My brain still works like a Maths teacher, just with melodies instead of quadratic equations.”

The revelation has sent shockwaves across social media, with #MathsTeacherTems trending in Nigeria and Ghana within hours. Fans have flooded timelines with memes of Tems in a teacher’s gown writing “solve for x” on a chalkboard, while others shared heartfelt stories of how her music has inspired them in STEM classrooms.

Veteran educator and founder of Lagos-based STEM initiative EduTech Africa, Mrs. Funmi Adeyemi, reacted on X: “We almost had Tems as a Mathematics teacher?! Nigeria lost a brilliant educator but the world gained a once-in-a-generation artist. Either way, she’s still teaching millions how to feel and think deeply.”

Tems also spoke candidly about the moment she chose music over a conventional career:

“I was already doing lesson plans in my head. I even bought markers and a whiteboard for my future classroom. But one night I recorded ‘Try Me’ on my phone and something shifted. The song felt like the most honest thing I’d ever done. I sent it to a few friends and within weeks it was everywhere. That was God telling me: ‘Your classroom is bigger than four walls.’”

Since that pivotal 2018 breakout, Tems has gone on to become one of Africa’s most decorated artists: an Academy Award nominee, Grammy winner, two-time BET Award recipient, and the first Nigerian woman to top the Billboard Hot 100 (via her feature on Future’s “WAIT FOR U”). Her debut album Born in the Wild (2024) debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard World Albums chart and has spent 76 weeks on the UK Official Albums Chart.

Despite her global success, Tems says she still keeps a Mathematics textbook on her nightstand “for comfort reading” and occasionally tutors her younger cousins in algebra when she visits Lagos.

“Teaching never left me,” she concluded. “I just teach through songs now. Every time someone says my music helped them through depression or gave them courage, that’s me marking attendance in the biggest classroom I could ever imagine.”