We navigate through East London's winding roads until the city feels like it's falling away—industrial estates, quiet warehouses, the kind of outskirts where creative work happens undisturbed. Inside the studio, the atmosphere is thick with focus.The set buzzes with urgency.
Her team of four photographers circles around her like planets orbiting a quiet sun. Tems seems both at peace and a little tired, locked into that deep creative zone that only artists know. As a low fog sweeps across the scene, pooling at her feet while she stands rooted in the spotlight, regal and magnetic.
I’m just taking it all in — watching her perform in real time, witnessing the way she shifts her energy between takes. While the photographers huddle close, waiting for micro-moments to capture the perfect shot, Tychus Wura steps back toward the stairs, angling for something different, something almost mythic. In another universe, that shot alone could be the album cover for Love Is a Kingdom.
Her stylist, Dunsin Wright, moves quietly but decisively, coordinating the entire team. It’s the final day of shooting, Tems has been on set since morning and still has two more looks to go. Jyde moves between departments, directing, smoothing over tension, and keeping the whole production from slipping off schedule.
As I look around, I’m completely mesmerised by the music filling the studio. I can’t believe my life — I’m standing here listening to seven unreleased Tems songs, each one unfolding in real time as she moves through the set. She’s deeply involved in every moment of the shoot, asking for retakes, adjusting details, protecting every inch of her creative vision. Her presence is magnetic; even though it’s “just” a music video shoot, it feels like an intimate, private performance meant for a handful of witnesses. The way she commands the spotlight, quietly but unmistakably, carries the energy of a true superstar. If Love Is a Kingdom, then Tems is Queen.
Photographs by Tychus Wura
