Tems Reveals Tracklist For Her Upcoming Album "Born In The Wild"

Tems has been one of the true breakout stars of the 2020s. The singer went from relative obscurity to headlining radio hits alongside rappers like Drake and Future. She even got the lead singer on a Black Panther soundtrack. The anticipation for her album has been at a fever pitch since it was announced back in 2022, and we finally have a tracklist. The Nigerian singer previously released the album cover, but the tracklist gives us a better feel for what she has in store, musically speaking.

Tems' body of work so far has been concise and largely EP driven. Born In the Wild is a chance for her to display her artistry over a lengthy period, and she's taking advantage of it. The album has 18 songs on it, and the features are minimal. It's obvious the singer has the chops and the confidence to carry the lion's share of the album on her own. Asake, another Nigerian artist, is featured on the song "Get It Right," and J Cole will appear on "Free Fall." The latter is a fascinating choice, given that Tems has worked with the other two rappers in the so-called Big Three. She's made two hit songs with Drake, and she had a Q&A with Kendrick Lamar in 2023.

Tems Scored Features From Asake And J Cole

Tems talked about the recording process of Born In the Wild during her Interview Magazine chat with Lamar. She told the rapper that she didn't intend to make the album so personal in theme. She was just compelled to dig into her own life whenever she stepped in the booth. "Sometimes it freaks me out," she explained. "Sometimes I freestyle to a point where I can’t feel my feet. I’ve entered somewhere and I don’t even know where I am anymore. I’m just pouring out my gut and then when I’m done, I don’t remember what I just did."

Tems also claimed that she encountered several "lightning in a bottle" moments during the making of the album. Moments in which she gave herself over to her artistic muse, and operated on instinct. It's hard to find, but it's special when you find it. "It’s like tuning a radio and you find a channel, but the thing is, once you lose that channel, you can’t find it again," she told Lamar. "You can find another channel, another freestyle, another thing, but not that. Unless you’re really, really tapped in."

Born In the Wild tracklist