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The Headies has rejected allegations that gospel and inspirational artistes are being sidelined from its major award categories, insisting that its records show faith-based musicians have repeatedly competed for and won mainstream honours.
The awards organisers were responding to an open letter by Nigerian gospel singer Gaise Baba, who accused the platform of restricting gospel and inspirational music to dedicated categories instead of allowing such artistes to compete for some of its major awards.
Gaise Baba also raised concerns over the Inspirational Music category, claiming that although he was nominated for the award introduced in 2024, the winner was neither announced publicly nor presented with the award on stage.
In a statement published on its official Instagram page, the Headies disputed the allegations, saying its historical records provide evidence of gospel artistes receiving recognition across its general categories.
“Every award season, the same claim resurfaces: ‘The Headies doesn’t recognise gospel artists. Inspirational music is shut out of the real categories.’ It sounds provocative. It travels fast. But the record says otherwise – and the record is verifiable,” the organisers said.
The awards body pointed to the achievements of artistes including Lara George, Kefee, Nikki Laoye and Timi Dakolo as examples of gospel and inspirational musicians who have competed successfully outside faith-based categories.
According to the Headies, Lara George received a nomination for Best Female Vocal Performance in 2008 for “Ijoba Orun” before winning the same category in 2010 with “Keeper of My Dreams”.
Kefee, the organisers noted, won Best Collaboration in 2010 alongside Timaya for “Kokoroko”. The song also received nominations in categories including Song of the Year, Best Pop Single, Best Female Vocal Performance and Best Music Video.
The Headies also highlighted Timi Dakolo’s achievements, saying he won Recording of the Year in 2010 for “Heaven Please” and collected three awards in 2015 for “Wish Me Well”.
Nikki Laoye, it added, won Best Vocal Performance (Female) in 2013 for “Only You”.
The organisers said the examples demonstrated that gospel and inspirational artistes have not been restricted to categories specifically created for their genre.
“Gospel and inspirational artists have not merely been nominated. They have won major general categories against the strongest mainstream competition of their time,” the organisers said.
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Addressing criticism surrounding the Inspirational Music category, the awards organisers said it was introduced at the 15th edition of the Headies in 2022 to increase opportunities for gospel and inspirational artistes rather than isolate them from the wider music industry.
“Best Inspirational Single, introduced 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.
The Headies said Kcee and Okwesili Eze Group won the inaugural award in 2022 for “Cultural Praise”. Neon Adejo followed with a win in 2023 for “Eze Ebube”, while Mercy Chinwo won in 2025 with “You Do This One”.
Other artistes, including Dunsin Oyekan, Limoblaze, Tope Alabi and Anendlessocean, have also received nominations in the category, according to the organisers.
The awards body further argued that failing to appear among the final nominees does not automatically mean an artiste was deliberately excluded.
It explained that each category typically receives about 50 eligible entries, which are assessed by the academy before the field is narrowed to approximately six nominees.
The Headies also addressed concerns about awards that are not announced or presented during the main televised ceremony.
According to the organisers, the number of award categories has expanded significantly, from about 22 in the early years of the event to 35, making it difficult to present every category during the live ceremony.
The awards body said it therefore uses a category rotation system, meaning some awards are omitted from the live broadcast at particular editions.
“Inspirational music is part of that rotation. That is not disregard. It is how a growing awards platform manages a growing number of categories,” the statement said.
The next edition of the Headies, themed “Africa to the World”, is scheduled to take place on October 25, 2026, in Toronto, Canada.
