Nigeria’s rising star Temi Oni is stepping into the spotlight, ready to make her mark on the music industry.
Temi Oni’s “Show Me” music video touched a place in my heart. It unfolded as an intimate portrait of love lived over time, following a married couple on their anniversary and holding up a mirror to relationships shaped by routine, sacrifice, and love. The story felt deeply familiar, especially within a Nigerian cultural context where provision is often mistaken for presence, and emotional expression slowly fades into habit. The video did not accuse or diminish; it invited. It asked men to remember, to return, to show up with intention and romance once more.
Like most of the music on the “ME TIME” EP, it opened space for women’s voices, their desires, dreams, and emotional labour so often overlooked. This project is rooted in lived experience and shaped by time itself. With four songs echoing four emotional quadrants, the work feels like both a personal archive and a manifesto: an affirmation that love, selfhood, and ambition can coexist.
In this exclusive interview, Temi Oni speaks with clarity and intention. Her music has become a vessel for lived truth. She is documenting her feelings. Each song is drawn from real moments, personal introspection, and the negotiations women make with time, love, and identity. Through this EP, she positions herself as a storyteller and witness. She is using sound and visual language to start conversations that often go unspoken. What Temi is doing with her music feels deliberate and expansive. She is creating space for softness and romance while reframing time not as something that takes from women, but something they can claim, shape, and create through.
Tell me about the inspirations for the E.P, “ME TIME”?
The EP is inspired by my real life. Sometimes, it feels like no one expects you to have wants, desires, or just any personal endeavours and dreams. For me, I feel like I had to sacrifice a lot of the things that I wanted to do personally to prioritise motherhood and wifehood. I got to a point where I felt I should be able to do both. So, “ME TIME” was really a reclamation of saying to myself, “this is how I feel, and this is what I want.”
“ME TIME” was really a reclamation of saying to myself, “this is how I feel, and this is what I want.”
I loved the “Show Me” music video. Can you share how it came to life?
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“Show Me” is my most personal song, inspired by my experiences, my friends’, and the conversations women are having online about wanting men to show up in a certain way. For the video, I always knew exactly what I wanted.
In Nigerian culture, men often start off very romantic when they’re younger, but over time, life routines take over — work, providing, eating, drinking, sleeping. The video opens with a clock, symbolising both time and a shift from past to present.
I wanted the video to uplift, not criticise. That’s why it features an anniversary party, celebrating romance and connection. It speaks to our heritage while opening a conversation about women’s feelings, the history of relationships, and how things could be.
When did you realise that music was something you wanted to pursue?
I started discovering that I could write songs when I was in uni. I went to Hampton University in Virginia, in the US. At that time, I was doing music with my friends, and we were listening to Earth Gang, and so many smaller artists that are big now. Once I graduated, I moved to New York immediately and worked from a proper music studio. I was in writing sessions every day and submitting songs to artists and artist managers. Then, I just wanted to be a songwriter because my dream was to be more behind the scenes.
“At the time, no matter what songs I submitted, the requests were always for tracks that felt shallow to me. I felt like God was pushing me to make music for myself, almost asking, “Why are you afraid to step into the spotlight?” In 2015, I decided, “Okay, I’m going to make music that I’ll actually perform.” And that was 10 years ago.”
Can you walk me through the creative process behind “ME TIME” — from writing to production?
My first EP, “Layers,” took two years to make. I loved the musicality; every instrument was played live, but it was a long, careful process. “ME TIME” was completely different. I recorded it in just two sessions: two songs in the first, two in the second. At the same time, I was moving to Lagos and had so much I wanted to express, so my songwriting became immediate and instinctive. I write based on what I’m feeling in real time.
I often wrote songs on the way to the studio and finished them in the booth. For example, “Show Me,” I wrote acapella — I sent it to my producer, and he built the beat around it. The entire project came together in six months. It felt fast and effortless compared to my usual process, where I overthink everything. This time, I knew exactly what I wanted to say, and it just clicked.”
What emotions or messages do you hope listeners take away from your newer music?
I want people to take multiple things from this project. I obviously want all types of people to listen to my music, but I make music for women. For me, I want women to be empowered when listening, and for the music to inspire them to be honest about what they want for themselves. I want women who are mothers to stand up for themselves. In the sense that some people just see motherhood as the beginning of the end, and it’s not. As a woman, I think many people believe that turning 30 or becoming a mother means their life is over. There are so many examples now to show you that it’s not an ending, it’s the beginning of a new journey. You get to help shape the perspective and the experiences of someone else’s reality, which I think is a really cool responsibility.
I want women — and people — to feel seen in my music, especially in the depth of women’s emotions. I want my music to give women the confidence to express themselves, to own their emotions, and to proudly claim what they want or don’t want in life, work, or any space they occupy.
At the same time, I want people to have fun listening. This project is about joy and vibes — I didn’t want it to feel heavy or dreary. Life can be so hard right now, and women deserve all the good vibes they can get.
“I want women to be empowered when listening, and for the music to inspire them to be honest about what they want for themselves.”
Has there been a defining moment in your career so far that shifted your artistic direction?
I would say moving to Lagos was a huge moment. “I think I needed it more than people realise, because in the U.S., women often lack the support to thrive as parents, and balancing work and life can be incredibly challenging. Whereas in Nigeria, it’s easier to put your kids to bed and you can go to dinner with your friends, and it’s not abnormal; it’s also easier to run a business alongside raising a child.
Here, there are market women and corporate women who have a life outside of their work. I think the scene here is just so ripe with talent, inspiration and exploration.
Who are some artists or creators who have influenced your sound or style recently?
I draw inspiration from many different people, and it comes in different forms — it’s not always musicians. I keep a mental rolodex of influences across disciplines. For example, filmmaker Ryan Coogler is a huge inspiration to me, especially because of how seriously and intentionally he approaches his craft and cinematic work.
I also really love Missy Elliot and Doechii. Our sounds are nothing alike, but when I look at their art and how authentic they are, I really love it. I love Cleo Soul. I’m obsessed with Olivia Dean right now, and I think there are so many more artists who inspire me. The way many artists make me feel is how I want people to feel when they hear my music.
Sonically, I’m deeply influenced by ’90s and early 2000s music more than what’s coming out now. Brandy’s “Never Say Never” album, in particular, is timeless — it’s one of the reasons I wanted to become an artist. Watching clips from her current tour honestly made me emotional because that album shaped how I hear and feel music.
I’m also inspired by artists like Amber Mark, whose voice and sound feel so distinct. And of course, groups like Destiny’s Child, TLC, and Xscape had a tremendous impact on me. I grew up listening to them, and they were incredibly forward-thinking in how they made music. That era of women continues to inspire the way I approach my own sound today.
Any upcoming projects you’re excited about?
I’m genuinely excited about the second wind for this project. There are more visual elements coming, along with sit-down conversations where I speak more deeply about the album. I’m looking forward to connecting with people in a more intimate, personal way.
I’m also a multidisciplinary artist — a musician, creative director, and entrepreneur — and a mum. While living in the U.S., I developed a maternity line called M Street and launched it there. But once I decided to move to Lagos, I realised I wanted to reimagine it. I’m excited about restructuring and redesigning the business in its new form.
