Tems Unveils EP 'Love Is A Kingdom': The Sound of Unapologetic Female Strength

On November 21, 2025, Nigerian singer and producer Temsilade Opeyinia, known professionally as Tems, released her highly anticipated new extended play, “Love Is A Kingdom.” This seven-track project clocks in at under twenty minutes, yet it manages to unveil an entire inner world. The presentation feels more intimate and immediate compared to her previous offerings.

While her debut full-length album, Born in the Wild, released on June 7, 2024, served as a powerful manifesto on survival, Love Is A Kingdom shifts the narrative toward one of profound acceptance. This is music where the artist steps away from the struggle and the need for constant explanation. Instead, she begins to operate purely from a place of clarity and self-possession.

Tems maintained significant creative control over this EP, handling the majority of the work herself. She was instrumental in the writing process and the production, meticulously crafting a sonic environment where the very breath of Lagos can be heard alongside her unmasked, authentic voice.

Inside the EP's Structure

The tracklist offers a concise journey through this new emotional landscape. The opening track, “First,” acts as a gentle but firm declaration that she is reclaiming her rightful space. This is followed by the bold and sunny “Big Daddy,” which arrived accompanied by a visualizer directed by Jude Ajala.

Further exploration takes listeners through “Lagos Love,” a track deeply rooted in her origins, connecting with the streets and cherished memories. The EP reaches a meditative peak with “Is There A Reason,” a collaboration shaped alongside American producer V-Ron. Although GuiltyBeatz, AOD, and LONDON contributed as co-writers, the overall composition firmly establishes Tems as the sovereign architect of this musical universe.

Sonically, the work rests comfortably at the intersection of alt-R&B, Afrobeats, and neo-soul vibrations—the very genres from which her distinctive aesthetic originally blossomed.

The Significance of the Current Release

The year 2025 has already proven to be a landmark period for Tems. This EP arrives on the heels of significant career milestones that underscore her growing global stature.

• On February 2, 2025, she secured a Grammy Award for her track Love Me JeJe, cementing her place as the first Nigerian artist ever to claim multiple Grammy trophies.

Consequently, Love Is A Kingdom feels less like a continuation of her career trajectory and more like an articulation of her artistic maturity. Tems is no longer striving to be the loudest voice in the room; her current ambition is simply to be the truest.

This authenticity carries a weight that often surpasses that of massive, blockbuster releases. The EP communicates several vital messages to the listener. It suggests that true strength can manifest quietly, that profound meaning can be conveyed in a brief runtime, and that one’s heritage should be viewed not as a burden, but as an essential foundation.

When Tems speaks on this record, it sounds as if she is sharing excerpts from a deeply personal diary, yet she does so in a way that resonates on behalf of her entire continent. Love Is A Kingdom is more than just a collection of songs; it is a compact realm of feeling where every track occupies its necessary position.

Ultimately, this music defines love not as a territory to be conquered, but as a state of being. It portrays love as a space for existence rather than a battle, and as conscious awareness rather than inherent weakness.