There’s beauty in sampling. “Love Me, Jeje,” initially released in 1997, won a Grammy twenty-eight years later.
PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported that Nigerian singer, songwriter, and record producer Temilade ‘Tems’ Openiyi won the 67th Grammy Award for Best African Music Performance.
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Tems defeated strong contenders with her love song ‘Love Me Jeje’ to secure the award at Sunday’s Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
Meanwhile, the song’s title and its first stanza resonate deeply with music lovers who experienced the Nigerian music scene of the late 1990s and early 2000s.
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In 1997, when Nigerian music was still carving a niche on the global stage, U.S.-based Nigerian recording artiste Seyi Sodimu, popularly known as Mr Jeje, released ‘Love Me, Jeje.’
The song, a track on his studio album ‘Born in Africa’, propelled Sodimu into the limelight and laid the foundation for what would later be globally recognised as Afrobeats.
The track also showcased Afro-soul vocals from actress Shaffy Bello. An instant classic, ‘Love Me Jeje’ was a beloved love song in the 2000s that reshaped the Nigerian music industry.
On 30 May 2016, Sodimu released a remix of the song featuring American singer K. Michelle, with production by Shizzi. The video for ‘Love Me Jeje (Remix)’, directed by Sesan Ogunro, was shot in Atlanta, U.S., and premiered on YouTube on the same day.
Upon its release, ‘Love Me Jeje’ became an instant hit, receiving widespread acclaim and massive airplay from music lovers.
Tems’ version
Several Nigerian artists have sampled the song over the years, most notably Tems, who incorporated elements of the song into her 2024 single, ‘Love Me JeJe.’
The 29-year-old released the song on 26 April 2024 via RCA Records. It is the second single from her debut studio album, ‘Born in the Wild,’ whose title is similar to Sodimu’s.
Produced by GuiltyBeatz and Spax, Tems reimagines the song within an Afrobeats soundscape.
Meanwhile, news of her Grammy-winning sample spread widely on social media, drawing congratulations from politicians, including President Bola Tinubu, Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate Peter Obi, and others.
As fans, fellow artistes, and loved ones continued to celebrate her, controversy emerged. Some critics accused her of being selfish for not correctly crediting Sodimu, the original creator of the interpolated song.
Below are some of the criticisms directed at the two-time Grammy winner.
I think it was a major faux pas for Tems to forget to mention Seyi Sodimu in her Grammy acceptance speech. The song “Love Me Jeje”, which won in the Best African Music Performance category, originally belongs to Seyi Sodimu. Tems’ handlers made a big mistake. pic.twitter.com/2bpWZc21wX
— Bros IK (@bros_aik) February 3, 2025
25 years ago, Seyi Sodimu released “Love Me Jeje,” and now Tems has sampled the same song. It’s interesting to hear the same tune, which was once one of the best songs, being revisited. Tems’ version isn’t surprising, but it’s something we should see more from Gen Z, as it helps… pic.twitter.com/FrWIPeJea0
— Oyebanji Akins (@Oyebanji_akins) April 26, 2024
📍Tems is the latest artiste to sample an Afrobeat classic and it’s none other than ‘Love me Jeje’ by Seyi Sodimu which was first released in 1999.
Tems brings back the soothing chorus on her new single named after it ‘Love me Jeje’
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Zino | Wunmi | Mohbad | Adekunle Gold pic.twitter.com/rOTc9TCYuZ— Billboard Nigeria (@Ngnbillboard) April 26, 2024
I think Tems should have said thank you to Seyi sodimu too, for inspiring the song she won a Grammy for.
— Soft girl all year round🌸🔮 (@Jokotade_ng) February 3, 2025
It would be amazing if Tems brought out Shaffy Bello and Seyi Sodimu on stage at some point.
— Chef Fregz (@Chef_Fregz) April 30, 2024
So I’ve heard several people say Tems sampled Seyi Sodimu’s “Love Me Jeje” in her new release, when in reality, it’s an interpolation and not a sample.
Took me a while to understand the difference and I thought I should simplify both terms with this thread thread. 🧵
1/10
— Capt. James (@olusolatitiloye) April 28, 2024
However, after criticisms of not acknowledging or thanking Sodimu after receiving the award, Tems made a U-turn in a post on her X on Monday.
While appreciating Sodimu, she described his Love Me Jeje as a timeless classic.
Tems wrote: “I just want to thank the wonderful Seyi Sodimu for supporting and clearing his OG song Love Me, Jeje.
“It’s brought the original song back to life for me, and I’m glad it’s getting its flowers today—a timeless classic.
I appreciate you so much. Thank you for your love and support.”
I just want to thank the wonderful @seyimusic for his role in the support and clearing of his OG song Love me jeje. It’s brought the original song back to life for me and I’m glad that it’s getting it’s flowers today. A timeless classic.
I appreciate you so much. Thank you for… pic.twitter.com/4srX5DhKCz— TEMS (@temsbaby) February 3, 2025
Rejection
Sodimu revealed during a 2004 interview at the Grammy Weekend in Los Angeles that major American record labels rejected the song.
The Lagos-born artiste explained that industry executives rejected it while trying to market the track in Los Angeles.
He recounted returning to Nigeria, where the song eventually gained traction. Before leaving for the U.S., he recalled, the track had already started gaining airplay on Ray Power FM, and upon his return, it became a wedding favourite across the country.
He said: “I had to take voice lessons. I learned how to sing and then went to the studio—that’s how I recorded ‘Love Me, Jeje.’ I didn’t release it for about two years because I first tried to market it in New York. I approached several record companies, but they told me the challenge was how to market me—I looked American but sounded African.
“When I took it to Nigeria, I think Ray Power FM had just launched at the time, and within two weeks, the song took off. Before I left Nigeria, the main song played at every wedding I attended. It was a blessing.”
Seyi Sodimu
Born into a family from Abeokuta, Ogun State, Sodimu was raised in Lagos. He attended The Fountain School, Surulere, for his elementary education before completing his secondary education at Igbobi College, Yaba.
In the late 1980s, he travelled to the United States to further his education. He enrolled at Prince George’s Community College in Maryland and earned an associate degree in Computer Information Systems.
While in college, Sodimu began writing poems and stories for the school magazine, earning commendation from his professors and peers. This encouragement inspired him to transition into songwriting.
Determined to refine his craft, he later took voice and piano lessons. During this period, he befriended Carl Bassey, an American part-time DJ from Howard University in Washington, D.C. The duo collaborated, with Bassey co-producing some of Sodimu’s songs.
Career
His music career took off in 1998 with the release of his debut album, ‘Born in Africa’ under Shakara Entertainment. The album featured the hit song ‘Love Me Jeje’, which topped the charts on Ray Power 100 FM in Nigeria and sold over 30,000 copies within the first few weeks of its release.
The album’s success also earned him multiple nominations and awards in Nigeria.
READ ALSO: Grammys 2025: The rise and rise of Tems, Afrobeats’ poster girl
In 2003, Sodimu released his sophomore album, ‘State of Mind’, under Goodlife Entertainment. The album featured the hit ‘Money Man’ and ‘Fela the King’, a tribute to Fela Kuti.
‘Money Man’ topped Nigerian charts and received significant airplay, including heavy rotation on Choice FM radio in London.
In 2007, Sodimu collaborated with reggae star Wayne Wonder on ‘Sophisticated Lady.’ The following year, he released ‘Set Me Free’ along with a music video directed by Ayoola Daramola.
He released new music, dropping the single ‘GBEDU’ in 2012. In 2014, he reimagined Ebenezer Obey’s classic ‘Ore Mi Se Pele Pele’, titling his version ‘Pele Pele’.
Produced by Lagos hitmaker Shizzi, the song’s music video was shot in London and directed by Sesan Ogunro of Film Factory.
Beyond music, Sodimu ventured into various business sectors, including real estate, fashion, and the automotive industry.
Meanwhile, Sony Music Publishing, West Africa, congratulated Tems, Sodimu and Music Producer GuiltyBeatz for winning Best African Music Performance with Love Me Jeje.
It’s also noteworthy that GuiltyBeatz produced 90% of Tems’ ‘Born in the Wild’ album.
