When Tems won a Grammy at the 65th edition of the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on February 5, 2023, the moment felt bigger than music.

Nigerians celebrated it as proof that the sound coming out of Lagos and beyond had fully taken its place on the world’s biggest stages.

But in the rush of excitement, one detail has often been repeated incorrectly, and the fact is that: Tems is not the first Nigerian female artist to win a Grammy.

Long before Tems’ win, that landmark moment belonged to Sade Adu.

The Nigerian-Born Woman Who Won First: Sade Adu

Sade Adu, born Helen Folashade Adu, made history in 1986 when she won the Best New Artist category at the Grammys.

She was born on January 16, 1959, in Ibadan, Nigeria, to a Nigerian father and a British mother. After her parents divorced, she moved to England at just four years old, a shift that shaped the international identity many people associate her with today.

Still, her roots are unmistakable. Her father, Adebisis Adu, is from Ikere Ekiti in Ekiti State, southwestern Nigeria, and Sade never erased that part of herself. Even after building most of her life and career abroad, she acknowledged her Nigerian identity publicly and spoke about the meaning behind her Yoruba name.

Sade’s Grammy journey also wasn’t a one-time event. Over the course of her career, she received eight nominations and won four Grammys, with her last win coming in 2013.

Her legacy stands as one of the clearest early examples of Nigerian identity existing in global pop culture long before the modern Afrobeats wave.

A Wider Nigerian Story: Cynthia Erivo’s Grammy Win

If “Nigerian” is understood not only by birthplace but also by parentage and descent, then another name enters the conversation: Cynthia Erivo.

Cynthia Erivo won a Grammy in 2017 for Best Theatre Album. She was born in England to Nigerian parents who separated when she was young and was raised by her mother, Edith, who worked as a nurse.

Erivo has also spoken proudly about her Nigerian heritage, identifying her roots as Mbaise in Imo State, and embracing her Nigerianness in interviews and public biography details.

Her win matters because it shows the Nigerian presence at the Grammys hasn’t only been through Afrobeats or mainstream pop, Nigerian excellence has also appeared through theatre, voice, and performance traditions that sit outside radio charts.

Where Tems Fits In

Tems’ win in 2023 remains huge, because it happened in a moment where Nigerian music is not just “breaking through,” but shaping global sound.

Tems herself represents that new era: born in Lagos to a British father and Nigerian mother, she left Nigeria early, returned at five after her parents divorced, and later grew into one of the most recognizable voices associated with Nigeria’s modern music export.

Her Grammy moment is a headline for this generation. But it’s not the first chapter.

The Real Point Isn’t “Who Did It First”, It’s the Lineage

Tems’ Grammy is part of a longer story of Nigerian women leaving fingerprints on global culture.

Sade Adu stands at the beginning of that visible Grammy timeline, Nigerian-born, globally celebrated, and decorated across decades.

Cynthia Erivo’s win expands the conversation into a different creative world, proving the Nigerian identity can lead in any genre or space it touches.

Tems, then, arrives as the face of a newer sound and a newer moment, one where Nigerian music isn’t requesting a seat at the table, but building the table itself.

And that’s the fuller truth: Tems didn’t start this journey, she’s carrying it forward.