In July, Tems launched the Leading Vibe Initiative, a mentorship and support program designed to empower and connect emerging women artists with the support and community they need to grow. Last weekend marked the first series of programming around the initiative, featuring masterclasses, workshops, and panel discussions, including one with Tems herself.
From over a thousand applicants, selected participants gathered for two days of intensive learning, networking, and inspiration. We spoke with three attendees about what drew them to the initiative and the practical insights they’re taking back to their careers. Their stories reveal individual transformation and the collective power of women supporting women in the music industry.
“My friend literally applied for me”: Finding courage through community
For Donatella Abu, a songwriter, the path to the Leading Vibe Initiative began with an unexpected push from a friend. “If I’m being honest, it was less of a what and more of a who,” she explains. “My friend Anishiei, who’s an emerging musical artist, was the push that gave me the courage to apply. We had recently written a song together and he believed in it so much that he actually started applying for the initiative program for me at first, even without my knowledge.”
As someone stepping into the music space publicly for the first time, Donatella wasn’t initially sure what to expect. But as the launch approached, her hopes crystallized: “I realized that I was hoping to find more people like me who really liked writing music but wasn’t sure what to do with that, or where to start from. And I was overwhelmed with how much of a reality that became.”
The initiative delivered on that promise of community, but it was veteran artist Sasha P’s words during a second-day panel that provided Donatella’s most significant breakthrough. Speaking about career transitions and public perception, Sasha P emphasised that “she doesn’t owe anyone an explanation and she can be and do whatever she wants because her possibilities are endless.”
“That really resonated with me because I’m always trying new things and always scared or worried about how other people will react to me just not staying in one place,” Donatella reflects. The message gave her permission to embrace her multifaceted creative journey without apology.
Beyond mindset shifts, Donatella gained practical business wisdom: “You should always have a source of income that you can use to fuel your dreams—basically don’t quit your job without having a way to funnel capital into chasing your dreams.” Combined with songwriting tips from Joyce Olong, these insights form a toolkit she’s ready to implement.
“It’s almost like an overnight evolution”: From shy producer to confident artist
For Fiona Amase, also known as FEEFEE, a music producer and multi-instrumentalist, the journey to Leading Vibe began with long-standing admiration for Tems. “I’d been a fan since 2019. I really respected what she did, and I saw a lot of myself in her,” she shares. “She’s one of the first women I saw doing something like that until someone like Bloody Civilian came out.”
Despite her talent, FEEFEE describes herself as “a very shy person” who “never really acted on allowing people to see my craft a lot.” When she saw the initiative announcement, she applied on impulse: “I was like, why not? I didn’t even think they were going to pick me out of, I think, a thousand plus women.”
The selection surprised her, but what happened next was transformative. “What I hoped to gain was to bring myself out of my own shell and for people to finally see what I could do,” she explains, noting the poetic timing: “I realized that the same age I am right now is the same age she released ‘Try Me.’ So I said, you know, maybe it’s really time for me to bring myself out of the shell.”
The initiative delivered beyond her expectations. “This initiative actually brought me out of my shell. It has me really wanting to share my work now with people. It’s really great. It’s almost like an overnight evolution, especially for my own self-esteem and just my own confidence.”
On the practical side, FEEFEE absorbed crucial industry wisdom about building the right team: “People who can see your vision, people who are selfless, people who are intentional.” She’s now “trying to curate a team of people, especially amongst my friends” who share her vision and aren’t “afraid to learn and make mistakes.”
Perhaps most importantly, she’s learning to think bigger: “Trying to also learn to think of myself as a company, so not just as a brand. I know I am someone who is also going to be making money and investing. Revenue over costs, trying to keep my revenue over my costs.”
“There are other women like me”: Finding authenticity in a world of conformity
Victory Oka, who performs as POLAR, came to the initiative through a different route, encouraged by her own fans. “I actually came across the announcement post on Twitter, but I didn’t think to apply until a few of my fans forwarded the post to me and encouraged me to go for it,” she recalls.
As both an artist and songwriter, Victory hoped the initiative would help her showcase a different side of her creativity: “Most people who know me simply know me as an artist, and I was hoping to shine more light on my songwriting abilities.”
What she found instead was something more profound: validation for staying true to herself. “Authenticity” emerged as her biggest takeaway after “hearing so many different women in various parts of the music industry speak about how they were all pressured to conform at early stages of their career and how they overcame that.”
For Victory, who admits she’s “never really been one to conform to societal expectations,” hearing these stories was revelatory: “I find it cool that there are other women like me out there who have also experienced this. Hearing how they overcame the pressures of conformity and staying true to their authenticity has given me the confidence to stay true to myself and my craft both as an artist and a songwriter.”
The initiative also opened her eyes to strategic collaboration: “The power of collaborations. The right collaboration with the right artist can really take your career to the next level, and this is something I would be implementing in my career in the nearest future.”
“Move in abundance”: Breaking free from creative isolation.
For Klaire Onyeka, a radio and TV host with a secret songwriting passion, the Leading Vibe Initiative represented a chance to step out of self-imposed shadows. “I’ve always been passionate about writing, but I put myself in a box mentally and had so many restrictions as the type of music I even write are unconventional,” she explains. “So I just wrote and recorded music in ‘secret’ for lack of a better word.”
When Tems announced the initiative, something clicked. “A light bulb went off. What if there’s an avenue, a community where I can connect with females just like me?” Klaire recognized that while “isolation might be fun, it’s detrimental to a creative mind.” She was seeking connection with people who shared “similar struggles and goals” because it “makes you feel heard and seen.”
The initiative delivered that sense of community, but it was advice from Donawon that provided Klaire with a crucial mindset shift around her biggest fear: creative theft. As someone “deciding to ‘put yourself out there,’” she’d been paralyzed by questions like “what if someone steals my work? And how do I even make money as a songwriter?”
Donawon’s response was transformative: “Move in abundance as I am blessed, even if someone steals it, it’s my creation in the end.” This perspective shift from scarcity to abundance thinking represents the kind of breakthrough that can unlock years of hidden creativity.
Building the future of African music, one woman at a time
These stories, of community, confidence, and authenticity, illustrate why Tems’ Leading Vibe Initiative represents more than just another industry program. In a music landscape where women often navigate isolation and pressure to conform, the initiative creates space for genuine connection and growth.
Donatella found her community of fellow creatives and permission to embrace her multifaceted journey. FEEFEE discovered the confidence to share her work and think like an entrepreneur. Victoria gained validation for her authentic path and strategies for strategic collaboration.
Together, their experiences suggest that when women in music are given the proper support, mentorship, and community, the results extend far beyond individual career advancement. They’re building the foundation for a more inclusive, diverse, and dynamic future for African music, one authentic voice at a time.
As FEEFEE put it, this is “everybody’s first time on this earth,” and for many, it’s their first time in the music industry. With initiatives like Leading Vibe creating pathways and community, that first time doesn’t have to be navigated alone.
