Songs, when they’re released into the world, tend to have a life all of their own. Tems’ “What You Need” is a solid example.
The Afrobeats star previewed it during an Instagram Live years ago, even declaring “this song is not coming out.” It did come out in November 2025, the standout track from the Nigerian singer, songwriter and producer’s third EP Love Is a Kingdom.
On Tuesday night, March 31, “What You Need” got its introduction to late owls with a performance on NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
Tems owned the stage, sparkling with Hollywood glamor in a long silver-white dress, her a-class band performing behind a thin curtain.
Produced with her frequent collaborator GuiltyBeatz, “What You Need” is a stripped-down epilogue about a relationship not worth salvaging. On it, she sings: “Your love is not my lifeline, your love is not my home.”
Tems has played a pivotal role in ushering in the rise of Afrobeats in the United States. She contributed to the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack, and has landed eight titles on the Billboard Hot 100, including a No. 1 for her contribution to Future’s 2022 hit “Wait For U,” also featuring Drake. Earlier, in 2020, Wizkid featured Tems on his summer anthem “Essence,” which hit the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 (partly due to a Justin Bieber remix), earning Tems her first Grammy Award nomination, for best global music performance.
She has piled up eight total Grammy nominations, for two wins: best African music performance with “Love Me JeJe” at the 67th Grammys, and best melodic rap performance of “Wait For U” at the 65th Grammys.
Tems has the kind of outlook the rest of us are in pursuit of. “Every day is something different, which is actually very exciting for me,” she told Billboard for her 2025 cover story. “I’m always like, ‘Hmm, I wonder how today is going to go. I wonder what’s going to happen.’” She settles into each day with a ritual. “In the mornings, I always do my self-care. I pray and declare that everything is going to be good and whatever comes my way, I’ll be fine.”
Watch Tems’ late-night performance below.
