Tems, the Grammy-winning Nigerian singer, opened up about facing criticism during her upbringing due to the tone of her voice.
In a candid interview with The Cut, Tems disclosed that she remained silent until the age of three, and her unique voice made her self-conscious as it deviated from the conventional girlhood sound.
She shared, “I was bullied to the point of tears and was a target of ridicule. This led to the belief that I sounded like a boy, or a frog, with the impression that my voice was ugly."
Reflecting on her childhood struggles, she added, “I was always in my little world. When I did make friends, I would try to make them sing my songs, and other girls had these sweet, high voices, and my voice had a bass.”
It's worth noting that the artist had previously expressed that she ventured into music because she lacked friends.