If anyone had told Temilade Openiyi, aka Tems, that sampling an old music with its numerous copyright issues would pay off, trust us, she would have argued even with her last breath.
But lo and behold, Tems is now the only Nigerian artist with two Grammys to her name, all thanks to the old record “Love Me Jeje” which she sampled.
This historic journey dates back to April 26, 2024. That was the day Tems birthed the amazing tune, a reimagined version of Seyi Sodimu’s 1997 classic, where she blended Afrobeats with contemporary R&B elements.
To Seyi, the Grammy victory earned by Love Me Jeje is nothing but an honour. His long forgotten hit is once again making waves, and this time, on a global stage.
But for Tems, it was more than that.
In a post shared on X.com on Monday, Tems thanked Sodimu for his role in clearing the sample and supporting the resurgence of the song.
She wrote, “I just want to thank the wonderful #seyimusic for his role in the support and clearing of his OG song Love Me Jeje.
Also Read: How Many Grammy Does Tems Have?
“It’s brought the original song back to life for me and I’m glad that it’s getting it’s flowers today. A timeless classic. I appreciate you so much. Thank you for your love and support.”
But come to think of it, who is this Seyi Sodimu?
Seyi Sodimu (also known as Mr. Jeje or Seyi) is a Nigerian singer-songwriter. He is best known for his hit Nigerian hip-hop single “Love Me Jeje”, which featured Afro-soul vocals from Shaffy Bello. It was released in 1997 and made him popular in Nigeria in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Early Life
Seyi was born on Lagos Island on June 30 to a large family from Abeokuta, Ogun State.
He grew up in Lagos where he attended The Fountain School Surulere for his elementary education and completed his secondary school education at Igbobi College, Yaba.
Seyi travelled to the United States in the late 1980s to continue his education. He attended Prince George’s Community College in Maryland where he graduated with an associate degree in Computer Information Systems.
While in college Seyi started writing poems and stories for the school magazine, and was commended by his professors and peers. He then decided to start writing songs.
He later took voice and piano lessons, to perfect his craft. While in college Seyi befriended American part-time DJ from Howard University in Washington, DC, Carl Bassey who teamed up with Seyi to co-produce his songs.
Personal Life
Seyi is married to a Nigerian woman from Ondo state and has two children, a boy and a girl. His wife is an entrepreneur who runs a group of schools.
His daughter is a songwriter and sings backup on a lot of Seyi’s tracks.