Tems: My biggest R&B crush dishes on J. Cole, touring goals and her 'Born in the Wild' debut album

It’s no secret - when it comes to hard-hitting R&B anthems, Tems continues to pave her own lane. Her voice is such pure bliss and getting a chance to watch her talking it up with Apple Music 1’s Ebro Darden? I’m here for it.

Tems talks to Apple Music 1’s Ebro Darden about new music, J. Cole and debut album

The interview clocks in at just under 20 minutes but every second is precious. From talking about working with hip-hop heavyweight J. Cole to her career expanding bigger and bigger, it’s all must-see.

Tems tells Apple Music about how she felt before finishing the album 

Ebro Darden: …I don't even know if you even had a date yet. But I could tell you were frustrated with the game. It's good to hear you say, "You feel renewed," was I picking up the right vibes, you were a little frustrated?

Tems: I wouldn't say frustrated. I would say maybe burnt out just a little bit. We've been working on that music for so long. At some point I was like, "Is this going to ever end? Am I going to live in this studio? Am I going to be old, I'm 50 and be like, when this album finally comes out." But we made it. I didn't think I was going to make it out of that studio. But here we are and it feels good. Because now I can go back to the studio without feeling some type of-

Ebro Darden: Annoyance.

Tems: ... or just dread.

Tems tells Apple Music about performing in larger venues

Ebro Darden: I think the last time you did a show in New York City was SOBs, which is about 300 people. You were at Radio City, which is a legendary, beautiful venue, which I think holds like 5,000 people. That's a significant jump, how did that feel for you?

Tems: That was, it's just such a special moment. I haven't actually completely taken it in. I'm not even going to lie. I'm still like, "What's going on?" But I just knew it was so special yesterday. I feel like I'm learning so much more about myself as we do every show, "Oh, okay." I've been indoors, I've been in the studio, I've just not been outside, so I didn't really know how people were receiving the music. Just to see the way they respond, it's crazy.

Tems tells Apple Music about her setlist choices 

Ebro Darden: I want to ask you though, when you're performing, other than obviously the obvious, the Essence or Love Me JeJe. What are the biggest records that you're performing right now other than the hits?

Tems: Me and U. Free Mind. Damages. Love Me JeJe is a huge-

Ebro Darden: Super smash. 

Tems: Once I tease it's like, "Oh my God, it's coming." They love, Love Me JeJe, love me tender. I love it too, when I perform that song, I feel like me and the crowd are one. We're just in this happy space where we're just leaving everything out the door.

Tems tells Apple Music about her songwriting process 

Ebro Darden: Are all of your songs that you write from your experience? Or do you take stories from girlfriends, friends and turn them into songs also?

Tems: They're always from my experience. The way I write music, the way I do music is, it was always a release. When I was younger I didn't really talk to a lot of people, so music was the way I would... If I didn't tell someone that told me off something, if maybe... People used to tell me off and I wouldn't say anything, I'd just be like this. Because I wouldn't know what to say in the moment. I found out that I could sing my emotions. So music has always been like that for me, when I'm full of emotion and I just release that emotion.

Tems tells Apple Music her early career and working with Show Dem Camp  

Ebro Darden: I sat with some of your colleagues, Show Dem Camp, here on the show a few weeks back. I didn't know that all of that was the creative collective for Tems until I got into the album and was talking to them. But it's pretty remarkable, the musicianship and the camaraderie and the creativity that you guys have created. How does that even help you and sustain you, that collaboration? Because some artists, they like to work isolated. It feels like you have a big family when you create. 

Tems: I am very family-oriented, actually. I've discovered that I work best when there's people around. Even though I like to be alone, which is weird. But when I met Show Dem Camp, that was even before I dropped... I had only one song. When I met Show Dem Camp, that was when I first started to meet all the other artists that also used to collaborate with them. We would all link up in their studio and just vibe and experience each other's talents. That was so fun for me. That was the building blocks to my social life and my music life and interacting with other artists and being in the studio a lot. Before that, I never was in the studio like that. So that really helped build a lot of the foundations of me learning how to be an artist. 

Tems tells Apple Music about collaborating with J. Cole

Ebro Darden: You have J. Cole on the album. I'd love to hear how that collaboration was set up. Did you guys know each other before the collaboration or did you reach out to him specifically for this? 

Tems: Oh yeah, I had met him last year, actually. It was just a casual thing. He just came to see us, me, my managers. We just had a chill conversation.

Ebro Darden: Nicest guy, cool dude.

Tems: So real, so cool. Yeah, we just always kept in contact one way or another. He was in LA and I was recording at the time. So I was like, "Yeah, I want to play you these songs I'm working on, I just want to see your reaction." When he heard Free Fall, he really loved it. I was like, "Would you be down to be on this song?" He was like, "Of course," he agreed to it. I was honored, that's J. Cole. He killed his verse and the rest is history.

Tems tells Apple Music about the wide range of fans attending her shows 

Ebro Darden: But on that, your music demographic is vast. It's families. Everybody's coming to... I talked about the dudes coming to the show, but there's families too. How does that feel? That's got to feel amazing. 

Tems: That is crazy. I think I just started realizing it on this tour. I started seeing much older people, much younger people. On this tour as I'm looking, seeing the crowd, I'm seeing elderly people at my show. Kids at my show, young kids, babies at my show. It's insane. I saw a little boy... There was a girl yesterday, but actually even further into the crowd, I saw a little boy singing like this. I think it was, Unfortunate or Found? He was singing like this, what do you know little boy? Wow, this has touched you somehow. It's surprising to me, I'm in shock, literally, "Huh?" I think that's the best blessing that anybody can ask for.