Nigerian singer Tems has addressed the viral controversy surrounding her iconic dress at the 2023 Oscars, disputing rumours that she blocked anyone’s view during the event.
In an exclusive interview with Harper’s Bazaar, Tems shared the backstory behind her memorable fashion choices, including the flowing white dress that she wore to the Academy Awards.
“This dress, the famous dress,” she began, recalling the moment with amusement.
She continued, “It was a huge deal and it was my first Oscars and when I first saw this dress I was like, ‘This is quite much this is quite a lot for me. It looks like a cloud or a flowing stream’. I felt like a princess in the dress and people were taking pictures of me and with me even If they didn’t know me. Even prestigious old white men took pictures with me and I was like ‘They don’t know me’ but they just thought I look cute.'”
Tems went viral during the prestigious event because she was thought to be blocking other attendees with her large statement piece hood. Reflecting on the incident, Tems shared how the misconception about the dress incident came to be, stressing that she had no time to change into her second outfit.
She narrated, “We were supposed to change from this dress inside but we didn’t get the time to and they scooped my stylist away so I was stuck with this. That’s how it became this whole viral moment with the blocking. But there was no blocking, I need to put that out there. The person behind me loved what I was wearing and he could see because the stage was up so nobody looked straight.”
“When I meet anyone in fashion, they’re like ‘Oh yeah, you’re the girl, you’re the one who caused all that trouble that day,” Tems concluded.
