Nigerian singer-songwriter Tems quietly returned to streaming services on Nov. 21 with a surprise seven-song EP titled Love Is a Kingdom, a short, intimate set that arrives less than two years after her breakout debut Born in the Wild. 

Clocking in at roughly 19 minutes, the project is largely a one-woman effort: Tems wrote, produced and composed nearly every element of the EP, and she elected to release it without guest features, placing her voice and songwriting front and center. The record is issued via Since ’93 and RCA Records. 

Critics and outlets have described Love Is a Kingdom as a continuation of the warm, introspective alt-R&B and Afrobeats fusion that has become Tems’s signature sound. Reviewers point to a range of moods across the seven tracks — from percolating, club-leaning rhythms to stripped-down acoustic moments — and praise her control of tone, phrasing and emotional detail. 

Lead attention around the release has focused on the single “Big Daddy,” which debuted with a visualizer directed by Jyde Ajala. In the song Tems interrogates a lover who claims status (“big daddy”) while failing to show up when needed, a lyrical thread that fits the EP’s larger preoccupations with love, power and self-clarity. 

Early reaction from fans and music sites has been enthusiastic: social posts and review pieces praise Tems’s concise storytelling and the sonic intimacy of the release, with many listeners highlighting tracks such as “Lagos Love” and the closing acoustic ballad “Is There a Reason.” The surprise nature of the drop — no promotional run, singles rollout, or features has been framed as a deliberate artistic choice that underscores Tems’s growing confidence as an auteur.

Contextually, the EP follows a banner period for Tems: her 2024 album and subsequent singles raised her profile globally, and she entered 2025 with multiple award nominations and wins that cemented her position among the most prominent Nigerian exports in contemporary music. Love Is a Kingdom is being framed by critics as a compact, introspective addendum to that trajectory, a focused statement rather than a commercial play.

Love Is a Kingdom is available now on major streaming platforms, including Spotify and Apple Music, where listeners can stream all seven tracks. Early reviews suggest the EP will become a frequent touchpoint for fans drawn to Tems’s blend of vulnerability and control.