Tems becomes the first woman to executive produce a soundtrack at this scale, with Burna Boy joining as consultant on the Yoruba-inspired fantasy epic.
Tems has quietly been rewriting the rules for Nigerian artists in Hollywood for years. Now she’s rewriting them again, this time from the producer’s chair. She’s been named executive producer and curator of the soundtrack for Paramount’s Children of Blood and Bone, and industry sources describe her as the first woman ever to hold that role at this level for a major studio film. Burna Boy is joining her as executive consultant.
Children of Blood and Bone adapts Tomi Adeyemi’s bestselling novel, a story steeped in West African mythology and set in the kingdom of Orïsha. Director Gina Prince-Bythewood wanted the music to match that world’s depth, so she went straight to Tems, not just to sing, but to shape the entire sound of the film.
Tems has reportedly recorded three original songs for the project. She also brought in fellow Afrobeats stars BNXN and Fireboy, widening the soundtrack’s reach across Nigeria’s music scene.
This isn’t Burna Boy and Tems’s first rodeo with big-budget soundtracks. Both artists featured on the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever album, where Tems earned an Oscar nomination for co-writing “Lift Me Up” with Rihanna. Burna Boy’s own contribution, “Alone,” became one of that soundtrack’s standout moments.
This time, Burna Boy steps into an advisory role, lending his experience to help the album stay true to the film’s tone rather than performing as the lead voice.
Composer Terence Blanchard, known for scoring Malcolm X and BlacKkKlansman, is handling the orchestral score. Prince-Bythewood has described the overall sound as Afrobeats-rooted, with Blanchard weaving traditional orchestration together with African instrumentation, an ambitious blend for a studio blockbuster.
The film’s ensemble includes Thuso Mbedu, Damson Idris, Cynthia Erivo, Idris Elba, and Viola Davis, alongside Afrobeats star Ayra Starr and Nollywood veteran Richard Mofe-Damijo. Children of Blood and Bone hits theatres on 15 January 2027.
For years, Nigerian artists have supplied hit songs to Hollywood soundtracks. Now one of them is shaping the sound from the top down. Whatever the film’s box office fate, Tems has already changed what’s possible for the next artist waiting for their own seat at that table.
