Temilade ‘Tems’ Opaniyi, the first African female music musician to win the BET Award for Best International Act, was on the verge of being Nigeria’s first Oscar winner, but she was beaten by Kaala Bhairava, M. M. Keeravani, and Rahul Sipligunj, performers of the RRR Soundtrack ‘Naatu Naatu’.
‘Naatu Naatu’ was nominated for Best Original Song alongside hit movie soundtracks such as Rihanna and Tems’ ‘Lift Me Up,’ Lady Gaga’s ‘Hold My Hand’ for the film Top Gun: Maverick, Diane Warren’s Applause for the film ‘Tell It Like A Woman,’ and “This Is A Life” from ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once.
Although losing the Oscars for ‘Lift Me Up,’ a song from the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever album that Rihanna sang at the prestigious award presentation on Monday, March 13, 2023, Tems remains the first Nigerian performer to be nominated for an Oscar.
Within a year, she became a Grammy Award winner for Best Melodic Rap Performance for her feature on Future’s ‘Wait 4 U,’ and she also became the first African female music singer to win the BET Award for Best International Talent.
Tems may have lost the Oscars, but her contribution to a song honoring one of Hollywood’s most famous superheroes, Black Panther, gives her the right to accept any award she receives. She deserves it.
