Tems Becomes First African Female Artist to Earn Diamond Single in US

Grammy-winning Nigerian singer Temilade Openiyi, popularly known as Tems, has become the first African female artist to earn a Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) Diamond-certified single in the United States.

 

Tems achieved the milestone through “Wait For U,” her collaboration with American rapper Future featuring Canadian rapper Drake, after the song surpassed 10 million certified units in the U.S.

 

Music analytics platform Chart Data announced the achievement on X, revealing that the hit single has now sold over 11 million units in the United States.

 

“US Certifications (@RIAA): Future (@1future) Feat. @Drake & @temsbaby, WAIT FOR U 11x Platinum (11,000,000),” the platform posted.

 

With the feat, Tems joins Wizkid as the only African artists to earn an RIAA Diamond-certified single in the United States. Wizkid became the first African artist to achieve the milestone through his collaboration with Drake on “One Dance.”

 

The achievement marks another major milestone in Tems’ international career and further highlights the growing global influence of Nigerian music.

 

The “Love Me JeJe” singer has continued to gain international recognition for her distinctive vocals and songwriting, winning multiple Grammy Awards and collaborating with some of the world’s biggest music stars.

 

Fans have since taken to social media to celebrate the accomplishment, describing it as another proud moment for Nigeria and the African music industry, while noting that it reflects the continued global rise of Afrobeats and Nigerian artistes.