“When it (the song) was nominated for a Grammy, people called me to say congratulations, and my phone wouldn’t stop ringing. I was amazed because this song took everything from zero to hundreds.”
By Friday Omosola
US-based Nigerian recording artiste Seyi Sodimu has shared the profound impact that singer and record producer Temilade ‘Tems’ Openiyi’s sampling of his 1997 hit song, ‘Love Me, Jeje,’ has had on his life.
That 29-year-old Tems won the 67th Grammy Award for Best African Music Performance with her 2024 rendition of ‘Love Me Jeje’, a track on her Born in the Wild album.
During a live Instagram session with UK-based Media and Entertainment Consultant Abass Tijani, Sodimu explained that Tems’ creative reinterpretation of his classic hit breathed new life into his career and transformed his perspective on the art of music.
The ‘Money Man’ hitmaker said: “In March 2024, my partners—Kola and Matthew Ohio—mentioned that people were looking for me. I replied that I wasn’t hard to find and asked who searched for me since I wasn’t famous. They said Tems’ management was trying to reach me. I was in Nigeria for a show at that time. We have a company called Life Wire that produces an annual show in Nigeria—we just did Night of Queens in December.
“I spoke with Tems’ managers, Wale Davies and Muyiwa Awoniyi, who were very nice. They told me that, if I knew Tems, she was planning to do a remake of my ‘Love Me Jeje’ and that her album was coming out soon, so we would need to clear it. I asked if I could see what they were planning to do. They sent me the song in a rough format; I read it and thought, ‘Wow’ when I saw the lyrics. Since the song’s release, it has been life-changing for me. Afrobeats is where it is today thanks to its solid foundation.”
Emotional
Additionally, Sodimu stated that Tems’ sampling of his song was both a surprise and a source of joy for him.
He also revealed that he posted the song on his Instagram page because he believed it was bigger than him—little did he know that it would eventually bring him back to the limelight after record labels had rejected it.
“I was shocked and happy (when Tems management contacted me), and I said, ‘Done deal. Let me know what we’ll do together on the song.’ We got lawyers involved, went back and forth, and got the deal done—all of this happened within a week. Afterwards, they said I had to be in the video, and I agreed. I then met Tems, and she’s such a lovely lady.
“She told me that when she was growing up, her mother used to play my song ‘Love Me Jeje’ and that my music—as well as Shaffy Bello—had inspired her. She said we inspired her music and wanted to give me flowers by having me in the music video so people would know the song’s origin. I was in the video. She (Tems) knows what she’s doing, and I told her that this song (Love Me Jeje) would be one of her biggest,” Sodimu added.
Time
He stated that his phone has not stopped ringing since Tems released the song—from its nomination to its eventual Grammy win.
He also mentioned that many people have congratulated him, remarking that Tems winning the Grammy with his remake marked his moment.
“I was in Nigeria when she released the song. It was a masterpiece, and she killed it. The music performed exceptionally well on her ‘Born in the Wild’ album. When it was nominated for a Grammy, people called me to say congratulations, and my phone wouldn’t stop ringing. I was amazed because this one song took everything from zero to hundreds.
“My phone has been ringing nonstop, and people say it’s my time. But it’s not my time—it’s all because of Tems. She’s an extraordinary talent, and God used her as a vessel to nearly change my life.”
Seyi’s African musical influence resulted in the release of his debut album, Born in Afrika, in 1998.
The album contained the hit song “Love Me, Jeje, Love Me Tender.” It was released under Shakara Entertainment.
This album topped the charts in Nigeria on Ray Power 100 FM and sold over 30,000 copies in the first weeks of its release.
The album also earned him nominations and awards in Nigeria. His daughter is a songwriter and sings backup on many of his tracks.
