HYPE fam, meet Tempoe, born Michael Chigozie Segun Alagwu — the Nigerian producer, songwriter and audio engineer whose sound has helped shape Afrobeats’ global crossover.
Recognised by his signature “MÄD!” producer tag, Tempoe moves between Lagos and London, building a catalogue of some of the biggest records to emerge from the genre over the past decade. Before music became his full-time career, Tempoe worked in web development in Lagos. He taught himself FL Studio after buying the software at a local market, turning his spare-time experiments into the foundation of a career that would eventually take him around the world.
His breakthrough came through a chance connection with fellow producer CKay, leading to his first production credit on CKay’s 2016 single Nkechi Turn Up. Their partnership continued, with Tempoe producing five of the eight tracks on CKay’s 2019 EP CKay the First — including the closing track, Love Nwantiti.
A 2020 remix of Love Nwantiti, featuring Joeboy and Kuami Eugene, changed everything. The song became a global phenomenon, surpassing one billion Spotify streams, reaching No. 1 on Billboard’s U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart and breaking into the Top 30 of the Billboard Hot 100. From there, Tempoe’s catalogue continued to expand. He produced Omah Lay’s Godly, Understand and Soso, while also working with Joeboy on records including Door, Sip (Alcohol), Better and Contour. His relationship with Joeboy later grew beyond individual records, with Tempoe serving as executive producer of the artist’s 2025 album Viva Lavida.
In 2022, Tempoe added performer to his résumé, producing and performing on Victony’s breakout hit Soweto. He created the song’s now-iconic whistle hook himself and earned a co-writing credit alongside Victony. The record went on to win Best Recording of the Year at the 2023 Headies and received a remix featuring Rema and Don Toliver.
Tempoe’s influence continued into 2026, when he produced or co-produced eight of the 12 tracks on Omah Lay’s highly anticipated album Clarity of Mind, helping shape its overall sonic direction. He also produced Davido and Omah Lay’s With You, which earned a nomination for Best African Music Performance at the 2026 Grammy Awards. Today, Tempoe has more than a decade of experience behind the boards and 10 individual tracks that have each surpassed 100 million Spotify streams, spanning five artists. His work has earned recognition from AFRIMMA, the BMI Awards, Johnnie Walker and Trace Africa’s Keep Walking: Africa Top 30, as well as an invitation to join the Recording Academy as a voting member in 2024.
For Tempoe, the philosophy behind his production is simple: he sees himself as a “finisher” — someone who takes a record from wherever it starts and carries it across the finish line. And perhaps that is the best way to understand his career: not simply as a producer behind some of Afrobeats’ biggest records, but as a creative force helping artists turn ideas into global moments.
Tempoe isn’t just making beats. He’s helping define where Afrobeats goes next.
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