Thems Captivates ‘COLORS’ With ‘What You Need’

Items took the world by surprise this past November when she dropped her EP Love Is A Kingdom out of nowhere. Although unexpected, the seven-track project was universally welcomed by fans and served as a filling snack between her 2024 debut album Born In The Wild and her sophomore LP, which is rumored to be coming this year. Although the majority of the set featured more uptempo Afrobeats-meets-R&B cuts, she did end it with a couple of downtempo tracks. Of those latter offerings, she decided to perform the searing ballad “What You Need” for her debut on COLORS.

“What You Need” is one of the most vulnerable and intense songs in Tems’ discography. She’s come to the end of the road in a toxic relationship and decides that she can do bad all by herself. Before she dips, though, she has a few choice words to get off her chest.

“Sometimes / Your love, it feels divided, yeah / And my answer / My answer is to pull out / Your love is like an endless sea / It won’t lead me to anywhere,” she sings to her partner who isn’t loving her right. She’s over and done by the chorus, declaring once and for all, “I’m not what you need / I’m not what you need / I’m not what you need,” before commanding, “Get away from me!” Ouch!

Though she’s curving someone in the song’s dramatic lyrics, Tems’ live performance for COLORS it was actually quite inviting. The statuesque singer stood tall on the navy blue set while dressed in a fetching all-black ensemble. The deep blue hue coordinated beautifully with the song and the songstress to create yet another one-of-a-kind visual and vocal COLORS moment

While we anticipate and wait for Tems’ next album, we’re loving this mini-era in between. Get into her first-ever appearance on COLORS with her “What You Need” live audio and video right here.