In the lead: organizers talk about “exclusion of gospel artists”

Organizers of the Headies have rejected allegations that gospel and inspirational artists were deliberately excluded from major awards categories.

The organizers of the awards made their position known in response to an open letter from Nigerian gospel singer Gaise Baba, who criticized the treatment of gospel and inspirational music at the awards.

Gaise Baba had accused the Headies of restricting gospel artistes to separate categories instead of allowing them to compete for major mainstream honours.

He also said that although he was nominated in the Inspirational Music category introduced by the awards, the winner was neither announced publicly nor presented the award on stage.

Headies quote past gospel winners

In a statement shared on their official Instagram page, the Headies said their historical records do not support claims that gospel artistes were deliberately excluded from major categories.

Organizers pointed to the successes of artists including Lara George, Kefee, Nikki Laoye and Timi Dakolo as evidence that gospel and inspirational musicians have successfully competed in the mainstream categories.

According to the Headies, Lara George was nominated for Best Female Vocal Performance in 2008 for her song “Ijoba Orun”, before winning the same category in 2010 with “Keeper of My Dreams”.

Kefee, organizers noted, won the award for best collaboration in 2010 alongside Timaya for “Kokoroko.” The song was also nominated for Song of the Year, Best Pop Single, Best Female Vocal Performance and Best Music Video.

Timi Dakolo was also listed among the gospel and inspirational artists who won major categories. The Headies said they won recording of the year in 2010 for “Heaven Please” and won three awards in 2015 for “Wish Me Well.”

Nikki Laoye, according to organizers, won best vocal performance (female) in 2013 for ‘Only You’.

The Headies said the examples show that gospel and inspirational artists were not limited to faith-based categories.

“The gospel and inspirational artists were not simply nominated. They won the major overall categories against the strongest mainstream competition of their time,” organizers said.

Why the Inspirational Music category was introduced

The Headies explained that the Best Inspirational Single category was introduced at the 15th edition of the awards in 2022 to create greater visibility for gospel and inspirational artists.

Organizers said the category was not established to separate gospel music from traditional music, but to ensure more artists of the genre have the opportunity to be recognized at the awards.

“The inspirational top single, featured at the 15th Headies in 2022, was not created to put gospel music in a box. It was created to give more gospel and inspirational artists a guaranteed place on the Headies stage,” the statement read.

Kcee and Okwesili Eze Group won the category in 2022 for ‘Cultural Praise’, while Neon Adejo won in 2023 with ‘Eze Ebube’. Mercy Chinwo later won the category in 2025 with “You Do This One.”

Organizers also listed Dunsin Oyekan, Limoblaze, Tope Alabi and Anendlessocean among the artists who received nominations in the category.

The Headies explain the nomination process

The awarding body also argued that an artist’s failure to draw up a final shortlist of nominees should not automatically be interpreted as a deliberate exclusion.

According to organizers, each category typically receives an average of 50 eligible entries. These entries are reviewed by the Academy before being narrowed down to approximately six final candidates.

The Headies said the selection process is therefore based on entries received and the academy’s evaluation rather than on attempting to prevent artists of particular genres from competing.

Why some prizes are not awarded live

Organizers also addressed Gaise Baba’s concerns about the awards not being presented publicly during the main ceremony.

They explained that the number of Headies categories has increased significantly over the years, going from around 22 in previous editions to 35 categories.

According to the awards body, presenting each category during the main broadcast has become impractical, leading to the introduction of a category rotation system.

The Headies said inspirational music is among the categories that may be excluded from the live broadcast during some editions.

“Inspiring music is part of this rotation. It’s not negligence. It’s how a growing awards platform handles a growing number of categories,” organizers said.

The 2026 Headies, themed “Africa to the World”, will be held on October 25 in Toronto, Canada.