Spotify premieres Tems’ Lagos concert film as debut EP hits 888 million streams

The full-length film traces the singer’s musical journey through an intimate performance featuring songs from different stages of her career.

Spotify has premiered Tems: Surround Sound, a full-length concert film featuring Nigerian singer Tems, as her debut EP, For Broken Ears, surpassed 888 million streams on the platform.

Directed by Tim Horwood and filmed in Lagos, the production follows Tems through different stages of her career, combining songs from her early years with more recent releases.

The setlist includes “Try Me”, “Looku Looku”, “Crazy Tings”, “Replay”, “Love Me JeJe” and “Me & U”, alongside tracks from For Broken Ears, such as “Damages”, “The Key”, “Higher” and “Free Mind”.

Released in September 2020, For Broken Ears introduced Tems to a wider international audience and contains seven tracks, including “Free Mind”, one of the singer’s most successful songs.

According to Spotify’s September 2026 data, the EP has generated more than 888 million streams across 185 countries.

The company also said songs from the project had introduced nearly 19 million listeners to Tems on Spotify since 2023.

Spotify’s data further showed that 21.6 per cent of listeners who streamed the EP in January 2022 returned to the project in August 2026.

Rifumo Mdaka, Spotify’s content marketing manager for Africa, said Tems’ early music remained an entry point for new listeners and a collection older fans kept returning to.

“Surround Sound gives that relationship a physical setting, with Tems surrounded by fans in Lagos,” Ms Mdaka said.

She added that the film allows audiences outside the venue to experience the songs as part of the singer’s broader musical journey.

The concert was filmed in the round, with fans positioned around Tems throughout the performance.

Mr Horwood said the production was designed to preserve the intimacy of the singer’s delivery while giving each song room in the set.

“With Tems, the voice and the space around it are central to the experience,” he said.

He added that closing the performance with “Free Mind” helped connect the different periods the film represents.

Surround Sound is Spotify’s live-performance format originating in sub-Saharan Africa. It brings artistes and selected Spotify Premium subscribers together for intimate performances recorded as full-length concert films.

Tems: Surround Sound became available on Spotify on Wednesday.