When it comes to having ears for great sound, Michael Alagwu is unrivalled for miles. The 24-year-old music producer, professionally known as Tempoe, is a core part of the recent milestones in Afrobeats’ global takeover. From having produced multiple number one songs on Apple Music’s chart, to having Billboard record-breaking songs, Tempoe has had a…When it comes to having ears for great sound, Michael Alagwu is unrivalled for miles.
Up until a few years ago, the young singer was a trained statistician and proficient web developer hustling through Lagos streets for an opportunity to express himself musically. “I go for feelings when I am making music. If I want to make a song emotional, I really go into it. There is a reason I add every element into the beat. If it makes me feel good, it definitely makes the listener feel good. I have learned to work with my feelings,”
Before the accolades, Tempoe had started pedalling the sonic evolution that Afrobeats currently rides on within the global music marketplace, using only faith, wits and radical optimism. Now, he sees the fruits of his labour and that of other Naija musical vanguards, and it is one he is proud of. Despite the initial friction that arose with his dad with respect to his career choice, Tempoe believes that the open sesame for almost every Nigerian parent with an artiste-wannabe child is becoming successful at your craft, especially by being famous and affluent.