The 95th Academy Awards ceremony (2023 Oscars) has taken centre stage on March 12, 2023, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles but could not have been complete without the much talked about outfit and outlook of a nominee in this year’s best original song category, Nigerian musician and producer, Temilade Openiyi.
The event which was organised by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, had remarkable moments: from the arrival of guests, celebrities and notable personalities on the red carpet, most especially one of the night’s more extravagant look from Tems, to the honoring of the awards recipients and performances by Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Lenny Kravitz and more.
Tems’ outfit was a voluminous gown from the LA-based label Lever Couture. It also triggered a lot of talking points and comments from entertainment enthusiasts and social media users on different media platforms globally; in an event which was Televised in the U.S. by ABC and produced by Ricky Kirshner and Glenn Weiss who was also the director.
With a stunning outlook, the dress featured a sculptural flourish of pleated and boned fabric strips that curved up through the bodice and around the head, while the skirt had an extension which spilled over into the surrounding seats.
Social media went agog, after the bridal-style design which was labeled as ethereal and angelic, ranked highly on users’ best-dressed lists, while others, however, took some issue with its scale.
Another remarkable moment was the presenting of awards to awardees, especially that moment of the night that Oscar statuettes were awarded for all 23 categories with ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ winning the new Best Picture.
The talented music artiste has such feat as being the first female Nigerian artiste to win a Grammy Award in 2023. She won the Grammy Award for Best Melodic Rap Performance for “Wait for U” with Future and Drake.
She has also clinched the Female MVP award at the Soundcity MVP Awards, which was held at the Eko Convention Centre, Lagos in February 2023 and featured on Wizkid’s 2020 single “Essence”, which was tipped at number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart after the release of the remix version with Justin Bieber.
