Michelle Oluwatomi Akanbi (born September 17, 1997), better known as Töme, is a Nigerian-French Canadian singer, songwriter and actor born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.[1] In 2020, Tome won the 2021 edition of the Juno awards[2][3] for her single ‘I Pray’ ft Sean Kingston. She has shared the stage with African superstars like Burna boy, Wizkid, Mr Eazi[4][5] and has collaborated with pop stars like King Promise, Runtown, Zlatan, Wavy the Creator and Sean Kingston.[6]
Early life
Töme was born on September 17, 1997, in Montreal, Canada[7] to a Nigerian father from Osun state and a Canadian mother.[8][9] She began singing at the age of 8 and picked up the guitar at age 10 in Brampton, Ontario, where she grew up.[10] She grew up listening to artists like Erykah Badu, Lauren Hill, Wizkid, and Alicia Keys, who influenced her music.[11]
Career
Before her career in music, Töme worked with a software company named ’Tran Score’ as a customer service representative. She quit the job to pursue music full-time when the latter started to take up more of her schedule.[12] In 2015, she released her debut EP ’One with Self’ on SoundCloud.[13] This was followed by her sophomore EP titled Tömesroom: Chapter 1. In 2020, she released her debut album titled BT4W (Bigger Than Four Walls)[14][15] featuring artists like Wavy The Creator, King promise, Runtown and Zlatan.[16] She also released a new single ‘I Pray’ in 2020 featuring Sean Kingston.[17] Her third EP, Dreams, was released in June 25, 2021; and her sophomore album Löv was released on February 28, 2022.
Töme is also an actress and has appeared in movies like Fear Thy Roommate, Clash and Love in Transition.[18]
