Tems states that Rihanna advised him to stop being so humble: “She said, you have to be that bitch you know you are.”

Tems (also known as Temilade Openiy) spoke about various aspects of her career during a recent interview for a GQ cover story. she discussed her “humble beginnings,” as well as what it was like to work with Drake and Beyoncé. Above all, the highlight of the interview was Tems’ comments about world singer Rihanna.

According to the 27-year-old Nigerian artist, when the pair crossed paths in Rihanna’s 2021 wild x fenty show in Los Angeles, he advised Tems to stop being so humble: “I just have this shivering thing,” she said GQ Magazine. “She said, ‘You have to be that bitch you know you are.'”

Since bursting onto the scene with their collaboration on the 2020 Billboard charts, Essence With Wizkid, the Grammy-nominated Tems has gone from strength to strength, gaining fans from the likes of SZA, Adele and Barack Obama. However, she tells him GQ that praise doesn’t mean everything to her: “Yes, these things add to my career. But they are not the core of my story.”

Last week, Tems shared the exciting news about her cover story with British GQ via Instagram, captioning the post, “Baby girl for @britishgq.”