Two days later, Paramount Pictures unveiled a trailer for its fantasy epic “Children of Blood and Bone” featuring a new Tems single, confirming her role as the film’s executive music producer.
The Lagos Room
The concert film, titled “Surround Sound,” was directed by Tim Horwood and released on Spotify on November 11. It positions Temilade Openiyi in the round, with cameras capturing the performance from multiple angles so the audience becomes part of the frame rather than a backdrop. The set moves chronologically from early tracks like “Try Me” and “Looku Looku” through recent hits including “Love Me JeJe” and “Me & U,” closing with “Free Mind.”
Horwood said the in-the-round setup allowed the team to stay close to the detail of the performance while letting each song breathe. He noted that arriving at “Free Mind” gave them a way to follow the emotional thread connecting different moments in her music. Spotify’s Rifumo Mdaka, Content Marketing Manager for Africa, described the film as giving a streaming relationship a physical address, taking the encounter beyond the room so audiences can experience the songs together as part of her wider story.
The Numbers Behind the Catalogue
The film’s centre of gravity is the 2020 debut EP “For Broken Ears.” According to Spotify’s September 2026 analysis, the project has amassed more than 888 million streams across 185 countries. More than one in five listeners who streamed the EP in January 2022 were still returning to it in August 2026. Since 2023, its songs have introduced nearly 19 million first-time listeners to Tems on the platform. Mdaka said the early music continues to be a starting point for new listeners and a place existing fans return to, framing the catalogue as a career scrapbook that reinforces her role as a cultural curator for African music.
Hollywood Executive Suite
On November 13, Paramount Pictures released the first trailer for “Children of Blood and Bone,” directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood and co-written with author Tomi Adeyemi. The film, slated for theatrical release on January 15, 2027 in Dolby Cinema, Premium Large Formats and IMAX, stars Thuso Mbedu, Damson Idris, Amandla Stenberg and Tosin Cole alongside Cynthia Erivo, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Regina King, Viola Davis, Idris Elba and Lashana Lynch.
Tems serves as executive music producer on the project. She wrote and performed the soundtrack’s lead single, “African Love Story,” which features in the trailer and is set for official release via RCA Records on November 20. The soundtrack also includes executive music consultant Burna Boy and guest appearances from Ayra Starr, Fireboy DML, BNXN and Moonchild Sanelly. The single release aligns with her sold-out global tour and her 2026 EP “Love Is A Kingdom.”
Chart Precedent
The expansion builds on a run of cross-industry milestones. In 2022, her vocals on Future’s “Wait for U” helped the track debut at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, making her the first African artist to achieve a No. 1 debut. That same year, she co-wrote and provided background vocals on Rihanna’s “Lift Me Up” for the “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” soundtrack, earning an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song. In 2024, she released her debut studio album “Born in the Wild,” which reached the top 30 in the Netherlands, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. At the 67th Annual Grammy Awards, she won Best African Music Performance for “Love Me JeJe” and became the first Nigerian artist with multiple Grammy Awards. In 2026, she earned her first number-one single on the UK Singles Chart with “Raindance” alongside Dave.
Awards Trajectory
Industry projections place her in the 2027 Grammy conversation for Best R&B Solo Performance with “What You Need,” which hit No. 29 on the Hot 100 and topped a pair of radio charts. Billboard and Yahoo Entertainment both list her among the sure bets for a nomination alongside Beyoncé, Jill Scott and Kehlani. She made her debut in the R&B field with a Best R&B Song nomination for “Burning” at the 2025 ceremony and is also a leading contender in the rap field for her featured turn on Dave’s “Raindance.”
What the Expansion Signals
The concurrent moves — a Lagos-shot concert film that turns streaming data into a physical experience, and an executive producer credit on a major studio fantasy franchise — reflect a shift in how African creative power is packaged for global markets. The “Surround Sound” film uses Spotify’s own analytics to justify its existence: a catalogue with 888 million streams and 19 million new listeners since 2023 warrants a visual document. The Paramount role places her in the room where soundtrack decisions are made, not just as a featured vocalist but as the executive shaping the musical identity of a film built on West African mythology.
Sources
- Tems
- Beyoncé, Tems, Chris Brown & RAYE Lead 2027 R&B Grammys Race: Our Predictions
- Spotify Releases 'Surround Sound,' an Intimate Tems Concert Film Shot in Lagos – DancehallMag
- Paramount’s epic fantasy Children of Blood and Bone drops thrilling trailer featuring new Tems single – Hollywood Times
- Beyoncé, Tems, Chris Brown & RAYE Lead 2027 R&B Grammys Race: Our Predictions
- Jorja Smith left London for peace and balance. She came back with an infectious club record
Photo: Maryland GovPics (CC BY 4.0)
