"Essence" is a song by Nigerian singer

Wizkid Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun (born 16 July 1990), known professionally as Wizkid, is a Nigerian singer and songwriter. A prominent figure in the modern-day Afrobeats music scene, Wizkid is regarded as one of the biggest and most influential Afri ...

, featuring fellow Nigerian singer

Tems Temilade Openiyi (born 11 June 1995), known professionally as Tems, is a Nigerian singer. She rose to prominence after she was featured on Wizkid's 2020 single "Essence," which reached the top ten of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 after the releas ...

. It was released on 30 October 2020, as the fourth single from Wizkid's fourth studio album, ''

Made in Lagos ''Made in Lagos'' is the fourth studio album by Nigerian singer Wizkid. It was released on 30 October 2020 by Starboy Entertainment and RCA Records. The album features guest appearances from Burna Boy, Skepta, H.E.R., Ella Mai, Tay Iwar, Proje ...

''. "Essence" was produced by

P2J Richard Olowaranti Mbu Isong (born 11 July 1987), professionally known as P2J is a Nigerian-British producer from London, England. He is best known for his work with the likes of Beyoncé, Wizkid, Stormzy, FKA Twigs, Burna Boy, Tems, Doja Cat & ...

and

Legendury Beatz Legendury Beatz (pronounced Legen-dury Beat-z) is a Nigerian record producing and songwriting duo, composed of siblings Uzezi Oniko (born 17 February 1986) and Okiemute Oniko (born 27 May 1989). Their production style is deeply rooted in afrob ...

. The "sensual" song sees the duo express their desire for each other. A music video was released on 9 April 2021, shot in

Accra Accra (; tw, Nkran; dag, Ankara; gaa, Ga or ''Gaga'') is the capital and largest city of Ghana, located on the southern coast at the Gulf of Guinea, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean. As of 2021 census, the Accra Metropolitan District, , ...

, Ghana. "Essence" is the first Nigerian song in history to chart on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and the ''Billboard'' Global 200. The song received a nomination at the

64th Annual Grammy Awards The 64th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony was held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on April 3, 2022. It recognized the best recordings, compositions, and artists of the eligibility year, running from September 1, 2020, to September 30, ...

for Best Global Music Performance.

Background and composition

After the song garnered popularity, Tems said that although she was "happy" with her first recording of the song, she felt her verse could have been better. However, Wizkid and his team thought her vocals were great and ultimately kept it. Tems recalled hearing the song "in the most random places", while in Los Angeles. "Essence" is an Afrobeats/

Afro-pop African popular music (also styled Afropop, Afro-pop or Afro pop), like Music of Africa, African traditional music, is vast and varied. Most contemporary genres of African popular music build on cross-pollination with western popular music. M ...

and R&B song. Lyrically, it sees Wizkid and Tems yearning for each other's physical connection; deemed a "flirtatious" song, the artists deliver "tongue-in-cheek

showboating A showboat, or show boat, was a floating theater that traveled along the waterways of the United States, especially along the Mississippi and Ohio rivers, to bring culture and entertainment to the inhabitants of river frontiers. Showboats were a ...

". As observed by

NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

's Sidney Madden, the song features Tems singing the chorus about how only her lover can give her the feeling of "lust and obsession and worship that she deserves", with the lyrics "You don't need no other body. You don't need no other body".

Critical reception

Henrietta Taylor of Nigerian publication ''DST'' lauded the collaboration, writing: "The Nigerian artists make a formidable duo in the glossy Afrobeats single, with the more established Wizkid giving rising-star Tems a platform to give listeners a glimpse of her knock-out vocals". Praising the chorus as "the hook that keeps on giving",

's Sidney Madden opined that the song was not immediately appreciated, due to

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, writing: "this song didn't really get the justice or even the fair playing field it deserved because we were all inside, we were all quarantined. But now that concerts and outdoor picnics and anywhere where the communal experience of music is appreciated is coming back, this song is going to be everywhere, and it's going to continue to go up". Calling the track a perfect mix of Afropop and R&B, ''Pan African Music'' said the duo "present an ode to lust" as they "embody sexual desire, advocating a sense of reciprocity". Regina Cho of Revolt deemed the song a stand-out from ''Made in Lagos'', calling Tems's verse "sensual".

GRM Daily GRM Daily (Grime & Rap Music Daily), formerly Grime Daily, is a British urban music outlet and entertainment platform. As the name suggests, the platform is an outlet for UK rap and its various genres, such as UK drill, afroswing, trap, and Briti ...

's Courtney W called it a "silky, smooth" offering. Conversely, ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' called the track "

expendable ''Expendable'' is a science fiction novel by the Canadian author James Alan Gardner, published in 1997 by HarperCollins Publishers under its various imprints.Avon Books; HarperCollins Canada; SFBC/AvoNova. Paperback edition 1997, Eos Books. It i ...

". In 2021, "Essence" was ranked as the number one best song of 2021 by American magazine

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

Other

"Essence" was included in

Spotify Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active us ...

's Song of the Summer playlist in June 2021, and in

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

's favourite songs of 2020 playlist.

Music video

The music video was released on 9 April 2021. Directed by

Director K Aremu Olaiwola Qudus (born 13 November 1993; professionally known as Director K and DK) is a Nigerian music video director. He has worked with artists of several musical genres including Wizkid, Skepta, Davido, Burna Boy and many others, winni ...

of PriorGold Pictures, and produced by Leke Alabi Isama, it was shot in

, Ghana. It was the fourth video to be released from ''Made in Lagos''. The visual sees Wizkid and Tems lounging in the streets of Accra, while Wizkid is later seen riding in a car with two women. The video was considered "colourful" and "scintillating", with

saying, "The visuals perfectly coincide with the track's blissful feel and include colourful fits, scenic shots and good vibes". ''

'' said the artists "glow, Wiz bare-chested and draped in diamonds, Tems in slick braids and flowing garb".

Justin Bieber remix

A remix of "Essence" featuring additional vocals from Canadian singer

Justin Bieber Justin Drew Bieber ( ; born March 1, 1994) is a Canadian singer. Bieber is recognized for his genre-melding musicianship and has played an influential role in modern-day popular music. He was discovered by American record executive Scooter ...

was released on 13 August 2021, and appears on the deluxe edition of ''

''.

Accolades

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from

Tidal Tidal is the adjectival form of tide. Tidal may also refer to: * ''Tidal'' (album), a 1996 album by Fiona Apple * Tidal (king), a king involved in the Battle of the Vale of Siddim * TidalCycles, a live coding environment for music * Tidal (servic ...

. *

– vocals, songwriting *

– vocals, songwriting (remix only) *

** Uzezi Oniko – songwriting, production ** Mut4y – songwriting, production *

– songwriting, production * Heidi Wang – assistant engineering (remix only) * Benjamin Rice – engineering (remix only) * Colin Leonard – mastering * Leandro Hidalgo – mixing * Josh Gudwin – recording, vocal production (remix only)

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

Notes

References

{{Authority control 2020 songs 2021 singles Wizkid songs Justin Bieber songs Nigerian afropop songs Nigerian rhythm and blues songs RCA Records singles Songs written by Justin Bieber Songs written by Wizkid Tems (singer) songs Songs written by Tems (singer)