Temmie Ovwasa (born 29 November 1996), known as YBNL Princess,[1] is a Nigerian alternative R&B singer. They signed a record deal with YBNL Nation in August 2015[2] but left the label in 2020 after a disagreement with the label owner, Olamide.[1][3] Ovwasa is openly lesbian[4][5] and identifies as non-binary.[6][7][8] In 2020, they released the first openly gay album in Nigeria.[9]

Temmie Ovwasa
Also known asYBNL Princess
Born (1996-11-29) 29 November 1996 (age 28)
Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria
Genres
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
Years active2016–present

Early life

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Ovwasa was born on 29 November, 1996 in Ilorin to a father from Delta State and mother from Osun State.[10][11] They completed their basic education at Grace Christian Schools and their secondary education at Dalex Royal College, both in Ilorin, Kwara State. Ovwasa studied Medical Anatomy at Ladoke Akintola University of Technology.[12][13]

Career

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Ovwasa started singing at the age of eight when they wrote their first song and joined their church choir.[13] Recognizing their musical talent, their mother gave them their first guitar at age 12.[14] Ovwasa gained prominence in 2015 when Olamide reached out to them via Instagram, leading to a signing with YBNL record label and earning them the name YBNL Princess.[15] They later left YBNL after a disagreement with the label boss.[2][16]

Discography

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Album

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  • Ajijobo; the art of ruining your reputation (2024)
  • Space fuji (2022)[17]
  • Song from the closet (2021)[18]
  • E be like say dem swear for me (2020)[19]

Singles

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  • Afefe (2016)
  • Jabole (2016)
  • Bamidele (2017)
  • Holy Water (2018)
  • Osunwemimo (2020)
  • Elejo wewe (2020)

Tracks

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  • Rainbow sheep
  • I took soeshrooms in ibadan
  • Lucid wetdreams
  • Omolayanfe
  • Sinner's prayer
  • labake
  • Your house is not a home for me
  • Spirit party
  • Apala trance
  • 420
  • Wonderlust
  • You can't pray the gay away
  • oshoronga

References

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  1. ^ a b "YBNL Princess Accuses Olamide Of Limiting Her Growth In The Music Industry". The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News. 7 December 2020. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  2. ^ a b "How Olamide destroyed my career for 5 years – Temmie Ovwasa". P.M. News. 7 December 2020. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  3. ^ Oladimeji (4 December 2020). "YBNL Princess Reveals Why She Refused To Change Name Despite Leaving Olamide's Label | 36NG". Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  4. ^ "I Found Out That I'm A Lesbian At 5 –Temmie Onwasa - New National Star". 11 February 2021. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  5. ^ Olowolagba, Fikayo (13 March 2021). "I'm disgusted by heterosexuality - Temmie Ovwasa". Daily Post Nigeria. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  6. ^ Miss Andry. [@THETemmieOvwasa] (28 December 2020). "Me referring to myself as "She" because I don't have the energy to remind anyone that I'm actually Nonbinary and my pronouns are "They/Them"" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 6 April 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2022 – via Twitter.
  7. ^ Miss Andry. [@THETemmieOvwasa] (13 July 2021). "I'm not a Man or Woman, I identify as Chaos personified, the storm and the calm in the storm, Queer, Loud, Heavy, Basically, I'm Non-Binary and Extra af😅 #NonBinaryAwarenessWeek" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 6 April 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2022 – via Twitter.
  8. ^ Miss Andry. [@THETemmieOvwasa] (5 February 2022). "Me: Explains how I'm non-binary because identifying as a lesbian my whole life in a country where I'm practically invisible gives me severe gender dysphoria & how being a lesbian places you outside the binary most of the time. Cishet Feminist: HoW ah u LezBian if yUa not WomEn?!" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 6 April 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2022 – via Twitter.
  9. ^ "Temmie Ovwasa dropped Nigeria's first-ever openly gay album, and it is amazing!". The Rustin Times. 28 December 2020. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  10. ^ "I've written over 300 songs – Temmie Ovwasa, aka YBNL Princess". Punch Newspapers. 9 July 2016. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  11. ^ "Temmie Ovwasa YBNL Princess Biography | Profile | FabWoman". FabWoman | News, Style, Living Content For The Nigerian Woman. 8 December 2020. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  12. ^ Kalau, Nina (22 June 2017). "YNBL princess biography: You will LOVE this Super Star!". Legit.ng - Nigeria news. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  13. ^ a b "Temmie Ovwasa Biography: Things You Didn't Know About". Hintnaija. 2 March 2018. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  14. ^ Lala, Emmanuel (11 July 2016). "YBNL Princess, Temmie Ovwasa Talks How She Got A Record Deal From Olamide, Her Ideal Man & More | 36NG". Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  15. ^ "Interview: Temmie Ovwasa Embraces the Complexity of Queerness In Nigeria". OkayAfrica. 9 February 2021. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  16. ^ Olowolagba, Fikayo (8 December 2020). "Temmie Ovwasa reconciles with Olamide". Daily Post Nigeria. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  17. ^ Space Fuji by Temmie Ovwasa, 6 June 2022, retrieved 24 August 2023
  18. ^ Songs from the Closet by Temmie Ovwasa, 13 December 2021, retrieved 24 August 2023
  19. ^ E be lik, 5 April 2021, retrieved 28 June 2021