Nigerian singer, Temilade Openiyi, who is professionally known as Tems, has won the Best International Act at the 2022 BET Awards.
She made history on Sunday night as she became the first African woman to win in the category.
Her hit collaboration “Essence” with Wizkid shot her to international prominence in 2021.
Essence was tagged the “summer song of the year 2021,” earning a remix with Canadian singer Justin Bieber.
Tems defeated Dave (UK), Dinos (France), Fally Ipupa (DRC), Fireboy DML (Nigeria), Little Simz (UK), Ludmilla (Brazil), Major League DJz (South Africa) and Tayc (France).
Receiving the award, she said “Thank you so much for this, thank you so much.
“It’s an honour… I mean, this is my first award show that I’m winning something and I just want to use this as an opportunity to speak to every single young, old, whatever, every single woman watching this, every single girl watching this at home.
“Where I’m from, things like this don’t happen.”
All the winners:
Best Female R&B/Pop Artist
ARI LENNOX
CHLÖE
DOJA CAT
H.E.R.
JAZMINE SULLIVAN (WINNER)
MARY J. BLIGE
SUMMER WALKER
Best Male R&B/Pop Artist
BLXST
CHRIS BROWN
GIVĒON
LUCKY DAYE
THE WEEKND (WINNER)
WIZKID
YUNG BLEU
Best Group
BRUNO MARS, ANDERSON .PAAK, SILK SONIC
CHLÖE X HALLE
CITY GIRLS
LIL BABY & LIL DURK
MIGOS
YOUNG DOLPH & KEY GLOCK
Best Collaboration
ESSENCE – WIZKID FEAT. JUSTIN BIEBER & TEMS (WINNER)
EVERY CHANCE I GET – DJ KHALED FEAT. LIL BABY & LIL DURK
FAMILY TIES – BABY KEEM & KENDRICK LAMAR
KISS ME MORE – DOJA CAT FEAT. SZA
WAY 2 SEXY – DRAKE FEAT. FUTURE & YOUNG THUG
WHOLE LOTTA MONEY (REMIX) – BIA FEAT. NICKI MINAJ
Best Female Hip Hop Artist
CARDI B
DOJA CAT
LATTO
MEGAN THEE STALLION
NICKI MINAJ
SAWEETIE
Best Male Hip Hop Artist
DRAKE
FUTURE
J. COLE
JACK HARLOW
KANYE WEST
KENDRICK LAMAR
LIL BABY
Video of the Year
FAMILY TIES BABY KEEM & KENDRICK LAMAR
HAVE MERCY CHLÖE
KISS ME MORE DOJA CAT FEAT. SZA
PRESSURE ARI LENNOX
SMOKIN OUT THE WINDOW BRUNO MARS, ANDERSON .PAAK, SILK SONIC
WAY 2 SEXY DRAKE FEAT. FUTURE & YOUNG THUG
Video Director of the Year
ANDERSON .PAAK A.K.A. DIRECTOR .PAAK
BENNY BOOM
BEYONCÉ & DIKAYL RIMMASCH
DIRECTOR X
HYPE WILLIAMS
MISSY ELLIOTT
Best New Artist
BABY KEEM
BENNY THE BUTCHER
LATTO (WINNER)
MUNI LONG
TEMS
YUNG BLEU
Album of the Year
AN EVENING WITH SILK SONIC, BRUNO MARS, ANDERSON.PAAK, SILK SONIC
BACK OF MY MIND, H.E.R.
CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST, TYLER, THE CREATOR
CERTIFIED LOVER BOY ,DRAKE
DONDA, KANYE WEST
HEAUX TALES, MO’ TALES: THE DELUXE, JAZMINE SULLIVAN
PLANET HER, DOJA CAT
Dr. Bobby Jones Best Gospel/Inspirational Award
ALL IN YOUR HANDS, MARVIN SAPP
COME TO LIFE, KANYE WEST
GRACE, KELLY PRICE
HALLELUJAH, FRED HAMMOND
HOLD US TOGETHER (HOPE MIX), H.E.R. & TAUREN WELLS
JIREH, ELEVATION WORSHIP & MAVERICK CITY MUSIC
WE WIN, LIL BABY X, KIRK FRANKLIN (WINNER)
BET Her
BEST OF ME (ORIGINALS), ALICIA KEYS
GOOD MORNING GORGEOUS, MARY J. BLIGE (WINNER)
HAVE MERCY, CHLÖE
PRESSURE, ARI LENNOX
ROSTER, JAZMINE SULLIVAN
UNLOYAL, SUMMER WALKER & ARI LENNOX
WOMAN, DOJA CAT
Best International Act
DAVE (UK)
DINOS (FRANCE)
FALLY IPUPA (DRC)
FIREBOY DML (NIGERIA)
LITTLE SIMZ (UK)
LUDMILLA (BRAZIL)
MAJOR LEAGUE DJZ (SOUTH AFRICA)
TAYC (FRANCE)
TEMS (NIGERIA) (WINNER)
Best Movie
CANDYMAN
KING RICHARD
RESPECT
SPACE JAM: A NEW LEGACY
SUMMER OF SOUL
THE HARDER THEY FALL
Best Actor
ADRIAN HOLMES, BEL AIR
ANTHONY ANDERSON, BLACK-ISH
DAMSON IDRIS, SNOWFALL
DENZEL WASHINGTON, THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH
FOREST WHITAKER, RESPECT | GODFATHER OF HARLEM
JABARI BANKS, BEL AIR
STERLING K. BROWN, THIS IS US
WILL SMITH, KING RICHARD
Best Actress
AUNJANUE ELLIS, KING RICHARD
COCO JONES, BEL AIR
ISSA RAE, INSECURE
JENNIFER HUDSON, RESPECT
MARY J. BLIGE, POWER BOOK II: GHOST
QUEEN LATIFAH, THE EQUALIZER
QUINTA BRUNSON, ABBOTT ELEMENTARY
REGINA KING, THE HARDER THEY FALL
ZENDAYA, EUPHORIA | SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME (WINNER)
YoungStars Award
AKIRA AKBAR
DEMI SINGLETON
MARSAI MARTIN (WINNER)
MILES BROWN
SANIYYA SIDNEY
STORM REID
Sportswoman of the Year Award
BRITTNEY GRINER
CANDACE PARKER
NAOMI OSAKA
SERENA WILLIAMS
SHA’CARRI RICHARDSON
SIMONE BILES
Sportsman of the Year Award
AARON DONALD
BUBBA WALLACE
GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO
JA MORANT
LEBRON JAMES
STEPHEN CURRY
