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The Headies has defended its record of recognising gospel and faith-based music, saying the Best Inspirational Single category was created to increase inclusion, not limit gospel artistes.
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The organisers cited past winners including Lara George, Kefee, Nikki Laoye and Timi Dakolo as proof that gospel artistes have also won in major general categories.
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The clarification follows Gaise Baba’s call for faith-based music to be considered in wider categories based on its quality, creativity and impact, rather than being limited to a dedicated category.
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The 18th Headies has six nominees for Best Inspirational Single, including Mercy Chinwo, Sinach, Lawrence Oyor, EmmaOMG, Gaise Baba and Sunmisola Agbebi.
August 31, (THEWILL) — The Headies has responded to renewed criticism over the recognition of gospel and faith-based music at the awards.
The organizers addressed the issue in a statement published on Instagram on Sunday, August 30, following an open letter from gospel artiste Gaise Baba on Friday, August 28.
Gaise Baba called on The Headies to rethink how faith-based music is recognized, arguing that gospel artistes should also compete in general categories when their music meets the required standards.
In its response, The Headies said gospel artistes have not been excluded from major categories, citing Lara George, Kefee, Nikki Laoye and Timi Dakolo as examples.
Lara George won Best Vocal Performance (Female) in 2010 for “Keeper of My Dreams”, while Kefee won Best Collaboration for “Kokoroko” featuring Timaya. Timi Dakolo won Recording of the Year for “Heaven Please” in 2010 and three awards in one night in 2015 for “Wish Me Well”. Nikki Laoye also won Best Vocal Performance (Female) in 2013 for “Only You”.
“Gospel and inspirational artists have not merely been nominated. They have won major general categories against the strongest mainstream competition of their time,” the organizers said.
The Headies said the Best Inspirational Single category, introduced at the 15th Headies in 2022, was created to give more gospel and inspirational artistes a guaranteed place on the awards stage, with past winners including Kcee and Okwesili Eze Group for “Cultural Praise”, Neon Adejo for “Eze Ebube” and Mercy Chinwo for “You Do This One”.
The organizers described the category as an addition to the awards, rather than a way of placing gospel music in a separate box.
For the 18th edition, the nominees are Sunmisola Agbebi featuring Yinka Okeleye for “Amioluwa”, Lawrence Oyor for “Favour”, Sinach for “Idinma (You Are Good)”, EmmaOMG for “Korin Iyin (I Will Praise You)”, Gaise Baba featuring Lawrence Oyor for “No Turning Back 2”, and Mercy Chinwo for “We Move”.
The Headies also pointed to Anendlessocean’s Best Vocal Performance (Male) nomination at the previous edition as another example of a faith-based artiste competing in a general category.
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The organizers further addressed Gaise Baba’s concern that the Best Inspirational Single category was not presented on stage during the previous ceremony.
They explained that the awards have grown from about 22 categories to 35, making it difficult to present every award during the live broadcast without making the ceremony too long and losing its audience.
The Headies said categories are therefore rotated during the main broadcast and stressed that Inspirational music is part of that rotation, not an indication that the genre is being disregarded.
The 18th Headies, themed “Africa to the World”, is scheduled for October 25 in Toronto, Canada. Rising artiste Fola leads the nominations with 10 nods, followed by Omah Lay with eight, while Mavo and Wizkid have seven each.
Congolese music legend Awilo Longomba is set to receive the Headies Hall of Fame Award, while Nigerian entertainment executive Cecil Hammond will receive a Special Recognition Award.
The exchange has renewed the debate over the recognition of gospel and faith-based music in Nigeria’s mainstream industry, with The Headies saying the dedicated category is meant to create more opportunities, not limit the genre.
Evi-Ben Ezaga is an entertainment and society writer with a passion for stories that explore culture, people, and the stories shaping society today.
