Popular Nigerian singer Tems has cancelled her much-anticipated show in Kenya, leaving thousands of her local fans disappointed.
The crooner, who has amassed quite a colossal global appeal and success in just over a year, tweeted: “Hey, Kenya. 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 added: “I am as disappointed as you all are but I look forward to coming and giving you a show that you deserve. Love you all.”
The concert was slated for October 15 at the Karen Waterfront and tickets to the show had already started selling from Sh2,000.
The event organisers Tukutane announced that they would be rescheduling the Tukutane Festival at a later date, accusing the Nigerian musician of pulling a surprise on them despite paying her performance fees. The organisers added that they would refund anyone who had bought the tickets in full.
“Sadly Tems has cancelled her show in Nairobi on October 15 due to circumstances completely unexpected to us,” Tukutane wrote on social media.
“As of three days ago, all was going according to schedule and plan. 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 for her Kenya fans. We were in shock, heartbroken and financially wounded,” the organisers added in a statement.
Tems, real name Temilade Openiyi, rose to fame at the height of the global Covid-19 pandemic after featuring on Wizkid’s ‘Essence’ smash hit that was deemed 2021’s song of the summer.
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The hit earned her a Grammy nomination and catapulted her to new levels.
Since then, she has scored other major accolades (like winning Best International Act at the 2022 BET Awards) and collaborated with top-tier artists like Drake and Future and most recently featured on ‘Move’ off of Beyonce’s ‘Renaissance’ album.
She had fans in a chokehold with her rendition of Bob Marley’s ‘No Woman, No Cry’ featured in the trailer for the Black Panther sequel.
