The Headies recently announced the nominations for the 2026 Headies, and while Nigerian artists are all over the nominations list, the decision of the organizers to host the award in Canada has us wondering, why is an award that recognizes local talent in Nigeria being held internationally, is it really for Nigerians or is it for the diasporans?
What You Need To Know About The Headies International Move
Although the Headies award is now being hosted internationally, it hasn’t always been like that, for 14 years, the Headies was hosted in Lagos, Nigeria and saw a night of local and global afrobeat talents trooping in to take home their awards or celebrate the night of music.
However in 2022, for the 15th Annual Headies award it was an international celebration held at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre in Atlanta, Georgia, USA and while many have said the move to international celebration was done by the Headies to include more Nigerian artists who have become global stars, the movement of a big award show to an international audience makes it difficult for the local talents in Nigeria to be present to receive their awards.
But why did the Headies make the international move?
What Are The Reasons Behind The Headies’ International Move?
The Headies received criticism when they announced their decision to start hosting the award event internationally, but the organizers have shared reasons behind their move, and they are:
- Lack of Local Revenue
As the Headies continued to grow in Nigeria, they and other award shows in Nigeria struggled to make financial gain from ticket sales, entry fees, and TV broadcast rights. They were also unable to receive or secure financial funding due to the Nigerian economy, prompting them to seek revenue internationally.
- Sponsorship Struggles
A big struggle that the Headies organizers and other award show organizers in Nigeria have struggled and continue to struggle with is the lack of sponsorship in Nigeria. Relying only on local corporate sponsors made it difficult to pay for the high cost of hosting the Headies award annually, forcing the award organizers to look towards international funding and sponsorship opportunities.
- Platforming Nigerian Artists Home & Abroad
Hosting the Headies internationally helps the organizers promote Afrobeats to global audiences, while helping local artists in Nigeria gain the recognition and networking opportunities they need from international record labels. It also helps the Nigerian artists in diaspora who are struggling to find their feet have a space in the platform provided by the Headies.
Does Moving The Headies Mean It Is For Diasporans And Not Nigerians?
Although making the Headies an international award show limits the local artists and supporters in Nigeria, it does not erase the impact of Nigerians on the award show.
The recently released nominations recognized many Afrobeats artists who are local to Nigeria and have roots in the country, and while many may not get the chance to receive the award in person, the international nature of the award will expose them to a wider audience.
The existence of a diasporan audience for the Headies does not take away the originality of the awards being Nigeria, in fact, it helps spotlight Afrobeat artists who are building a career for themselves in the diaspora who neither have an audience in Nigeria, nor a big enough audience in their respective international communities.
The move is one that if looked at with added context, favors the organizers of the award show, the local artists in Nigeria and the growing international community.
What do we think?
The move to an international award show robs Nigerians of a significant asset in our music culture, however the Headies had slowly begun to lose the attention of the media shortly before its move. When viewed objectively, the move to an international audience contributed to reviving the award show’s relevance.
