Tems became an international star following 2020’s “Free Mind” and her honey-hued chorus on Wizkid’s “Essence.” Since then, she’s been dealt the challenge of pleasing her fans back home and music hotbeds like the United States.

However, as the singer emphasized during a sit-down with ESSENCE on Tuesday (Aug. 20), she isn’t losing sleep over living up to anyone’s expectations. “If I start thinking about that, I don’t know who will give me the answer,” she said.

Tems explained, “Maybe one person in Chicago says, ‘This is what I personally expect of you.’ But somebody in Nigeria says, ‘Well, this is what I personally expect of you.’ And somebody else in Japan is saying, ‘Tems, this is what I expect you should be doing.’ So, whose expectation are we talking about?”

“There [are] so many people in the world, and they all have expectations. I don’t actually know what those expectations are, and I don’t try to know. I am only a girl. I’m just a girl,” she further noted.

“I can’t wake up every morning thinking about what people expect of me. The better question is: What is it that I expect of myself? What is it that God expects of me?”

Elsewhere, Tems urged her followers to live their lives “in a way that is real” while focusing on the current moment. She said, “You have to be present always — and think, ‘Okay, where am I right now?’”

Tems will begin the North American leg of her “Born In The Wild World Tour” on Aug. 22 at Miami Beach. Afterward, she’ll sweep through other major cities like Orlando, Atlanta, New York, Toronto, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles. The artist is also scheduled to take on shows in Africa, Asia and Australia later in the year.

Her debut album peaked at No. 56 on the Billboard 200 chart, while 13 of the 18 tracks managed to land on the U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart dated June 22. The LP housed features from J. Cole and Asake, who lent their vocals to “Free Fall” and “Get it Right,” respectively.