On July 12, 2021, Wizkid and Tem’s “Essence” entered the Billboard Hot 100 chart at number 82. This is considered a huge win for the duo, especially Tems who is still a rising talent. The Billboard Chart is America’s standard music chart that records the music sales, radio play and online streaming in the United States on a weekly basis. This marks Wizkid’s third appearance on the chart. He previously earned a number 1 spot on the Chart as a featured artist on Drake’s 2016 single “One Dance”, and reappeared on the chart in 2019 as the featured artist on Beyoncé’s “Brown Skin Girl”, which earned Wizkid the Grammy award for Best Music Video alongside Beyoncé, SAINt JHN and Blue Ivy Carter. “Essence” featuring Tems has becomeWizkid’s first appearance on the chart as a leading artist, and also marks Tems’ first ever appearance on the chart.
“Essence” was released in October 2020 as track 11 on Wizkid’s Made in Lagos, an album that also featured stars such as Skepta, Damien Marley, Ella Mai, Terri, H.E.R., Tay Iwar and Burna Boy. The entry on the chart makes this the first Nigerian song to enter the chart as well as making Tems the first female Nigerian artist to appear on the chart. Tems came into the spotlight after the release of her singles “Mr Rebel”, “Looku Looku” and “Try Me”. She released her debut EP For Broken Ears in 2020, to rave reviews.
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