Kelly Rowland finally responds after she is asked why she texts on Microsoft Excel in 'Dilemma' music video

Kelly Rowland has finally addressed speculation about one of the most controversial times of her life - when she was seen in a music video texting using Excel.

If you didn’t just hear the hook from that iconic song in your head, you probably weren’t born at the time.

Nelly and Kelly Rowland’s hit ‘Dilemma’ was everywhere in 2002

To say that Nelly and Kelly Rowland’s hit ‘Dilemma’ was a hit would be something of an understatement.

It was number one in charts around the world for weeks, and stuck in everyone’s head for even longer than that.

The ex-Destiny’s Child singer Rowland gave the song its iconic hook, and Nelly delivered the bars over the top - plaster on his cheek and everything.

However, there was one part of the song that really captured everyone’s attention.

Nelly and Kelly Rowland. Credit: Universal

You see - kids - this was in the days before smartphones were really a thing, so people had all kinds of different phones rather than the fairly uniform Apple or Android tech we have today.

In fact, the world of cellphones was so wild and varied that it would blow the mind of anyone who wasn’t alive to see it.

Of course, at the time Kelly had to have the best tech possible in the video, and had a Nokia model - again, ask your parents kids - with a sideways screen and a flip-down keyboard.

In the video, she could be seen texting, but in the years since it has been noticed that she was scrawling her message ‘Where you at? Holla when you…’ on Microsoft Excel.

The shot that started it all... Credit: Universal

Rowland has explained what happened

The meme has been around for decades now, and it really shines a light on the era that it came from, as much as anything.

Speaking to Elle alongside Mariah Carey and Ravyn Lenae, Rowland has opened up about the scene that launched a million memes.

She said: “I don’t know whose brilliant idea it was to text on Microsoft Excel, but it chases me everywhere I go,

"Everybody is always asking me ‘why were you…’ and I say ‘I don’t know!’

“I was given the device, it had this on it, and here we are in the video,

“They’re like, ‘Oh, we need a shot of it.’ I was like, ‘I guess this is right.’ And here we are 25 years later.”

“People ask me that a lot. No, I’m literally asked that every week.”

In another interview, she expanded: “I’m actually mad at them that they didn’t because they made me look nuts.”

Featured image credit: Universal