Indian music director, actor and performer, Gopi Sundar once said that “The greatest award is the appreciation of the people.” In life showing appreciation to those you love is the highest veneration you can oblige to them, as nothing beats loving and knowing you receive such gesture in return.
One would ask, has the good people of Nigeria been appreciative of the Headies awards in all her years of existence with this year making it the 15th edition of this prestigious award, in a country that has never had a consistent power supply in over 60 years of its existence.
The Headies has been a force to reckon with in not just the Nigerian music industry but the rest of Africa, since its inception in 2006. My world, this is the Headies, I grew up watching this award show from the nomination parties, theme songs, the award shows, the buzz, the glamour and finally the grandeur of showbiz. I do hope to make it to the Headies someday and lest I forget the Grammys too, boy oh boy that would be splendid.
This award show, if I may say, is the biggest night in Nigerian music and if not Africa. But with all good things, it has had its own fair share of controversies from Burna Boy losing the ‘Next Rated’ award to Sean Tizzle in 2013, to Olamide giving us a semblance of a ‘Kanye MTV Moment’ on stage in response to Lil Kesh award loss in the 2015 edition and artistes nonchalant approach to the award due to its perceived lack of credibility over the years.
Many key stakeholders have voiced their opinions on the recent move of the Headies awards, to be held in the United States on the 2nd of July 2022 in the city of Atlanta.
Some music aficionados think the Headies have done a great job in their consistency over the years despite their imperfections, controversies and the credibility of the platform. In their words, it is because we Nigerians care, regard and to some extent rate the award to a significant measure, that’s why we criticize the award for its inefficiencies. They further added that many if not all the awards that came out during the Headies era; pre, during and post headies are nowhere to be found and no more in the conversation. People only bash things they are heavily invested in.
I feel Mr Ayo Animashaun, the man behind this award should be venerated for his dedication and efforts in pushing this brand to great heights. The Headies have over the years tried to work on their credibility with the help of the Academy to right all the wrongs of the past in regards to inclusivity, especially to the alternative genre, proper nominations, the award show production and a host of others.
Though these adjustments are not perfect and even the artiste’s relationship with the Headies has been bad, as the gap between the audience and the industry is still huge. In fact, the Headies has suffered a serious decline in the wake of the Afrobeats to the world movement. Many think that Lagos which is the city that has played host to this award for the majority of the times in the past is probably the Mecca of Afrobeats and Afrobeats is a Nigerian thing which in actuality is not but that’s a tale for another time.
So, when you critically analyse this movement which is Africa’s biggest music export so far, it would be a big shame if the most prestigious and consistent award in that genre of music to have a decline in credibility. This is why something had to be done, there go the award being held in the United States, so in a way, this move is to bring back the credibility of the award, as the Afrobeats movement is really pulling a lot of strings, can you imagine that this genre has already garnered three billboard hot 100 listings, the Queen of pop, Madonna did a remix of ‘Frozen’ with Fireboy DML and ABC News has even called Afrobeats the new pop sound. It can only get bigger.
The spread of Afrobeats is quite delightful and exciting but if we are not careful awards, platforms and documentary materials would be created for us by those who are not necessarily of African origin. We might lose the narrative on Afrobeats, big ups to all those who are steadily working to rep the culture from Turntable charts to Pulse ng, and a host of others that are adequately documenting the story of Afrobeats.
It is pertinent we own something great like the Headies, which is why the move to the US is very essential, as it will bridge the gap between the artistes, create a dynamic experience, put the ownership stamp of a Nigerian thing in that space and be a torchbearer for Afrobeats. But it might become a problem if it is being held continually in the US and not return to Nigeria. This could mean that the brand has become a ‘sell out’ and an enemy to the culture.
Some critics question the optics behind this move because they term this as a money move but the thing is that the industry is a game and you have to play it well to win big and position yourself in places that matter to this industry to thrive and soar. We fail to realise that the Headies is a product and like all great products it has to be sold to make profits, it already does and more money will not be bad in retrospect. Sponsors would want to work with you due to ratings, viewership, content, conversations and more. So, at the end of the day is all about interest and profit.
In all the Headies needs to step up in their game and prove to all doubters that they are ready to take the bull by the horn and take this platform to the next level. It is impossible to please everybody but you can make a great effort to do the very best you can and hope God will do the rest for you.