Grammy-winning artist Tems has completed the inaugural edition of The Leading Vibe Initiative (LVI)—a two-day, hands-on program designed to fast-track the next wave of women creators in African music.
Held 8–9 August at Amah Studios and GAIA Lagos, the debut cohort brought together 20 young women—producers, artists, and songwriters-for an immersive experience centered on creative collaboration, industry mentorship, and professional development.
Tems’ Leading Vibe Initiative
Tems’ Leading Vibe Initiative
Tems’ Leading Vibe Initiative
What happened
Studio immersion: participants worked in small writing and production rooms, exchanging stems, arrangement ideas, and feedback in real time.
Mentorship circles: veteran creatives and executives (A&R, publishing, management, live) unpack career pathways, contracts, and release strategy.
Career labs: practical sessions on building a catalog, split sheets, and metadata hygiene, release calendars, stage craft, and brand positioning.
Tems’ Leading Vibe Initiative
Tems’ Leading Vibe Initiative
Tems’ Leading Vibe Initiative
Tems’ Leading Vibe Initiative
Why it matters
Women remain underrepresented in core decision-making and technical roles in the music ecosystem—especially in production and songwriting. LVI tackles that gap by pairing skills development with network formation: access to studios, structured feedback, and relationships that outlast a single workshop.
What LVI signals
The program mirrors Tems’ ethos—lead with intention, protect the art, and expand opportunity. By keeping the first edition in Lagos, LVI anchors world-class training at home while speaking to a global audience that already streams African music at scale.
Tems’ Leading Vibe Initiative
Tems’ Leading Vibe Initiative
Tems’ Leading Vibe Initiative
Tems’ Leading Vibe Initiative
What’s next
Organizers say the pilot will inform a growing platform: ongoing mentorship, community meet-ups, and future cohorts aimed at widening the pipeline for women producers and songwriters across Africa and the diaspora.
LVI is more than a workshop; it’s early infrastructure. Tems has turned cultural capital into a working engine for opportunity—one that equips talented women with the tools, rooms, and relationships they need to ship records and shape the sound of what’s next.
