Nigerian singer Tems performed her ballad “What You Need” on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on March 31. The track comes from her 2025 EP Love Is a Kingdom. She was backed by a live band and backup singers.
Tems delivered an intimate rendition of the emotional song, with a band positioned behind a fringe curtain. “What You Need,” the EP’s debut single released last fall, features lyrics like “I’m better on my own, you’re better when you’re gone.” The track was written and produced by Tems and her frequent collaborator GuiltyBeatz, as reported by music outlets covering the appearance, including Pitchfork which shared video of the performance. Pitchfork also noted that Tems handled most of the writing, composing, and production for the EP herself. Love Is a Kingdom arrived in November 2025, following her 2024 full-length album Born in the Wild. That album earned her the Best African Music Performance Grammy in 2025 for the single “Love Me JeJe.” Tems first gained notice with her 2018 debut single “Mr. Rebel,” followed by EPs For Broken Ears in 2020 and If Orange Was a Place in 2021. She has scored hits like “Damages” in 2020 and “Free Mind” in 2022, alongside high-profile features on Wizkid’s “Essence” and Future and Drake’s “Wait for U.” She has upcoming shows at All Points East in London and in Bristol, England, both in August.
