Founder of The Headies, Ayo Animashaun, has criticised Nigerian artistes who publicly announce their submissions to foreign award bodies but allegedly fail to enter their works for the country’s leading music awards.
Animashaun expressed his displeasure in two Instagram stories on Thursday, questioning why some musicians pursue recognition abroad while overlooking The Headies and later complain about missing out on nominations.
In his first post, he claimed that many artistes would submit entries to foreign award organisations that, in his view, showed little interest in them, before proudly publicising their submissions.
He referred to such individuals as “Tom, Dick and Harry” and ended the post with the remark, “Funny!!!”
In a follow-up message, the Headies founder defended the decisions taken by the organisers, arguing that the awards could stand by their choices as long as artistes, beneficiaries and sponsors understood and appreciated the vision behind them.
“As long as those who benefit from what we do understand and appreciate it, the artistes understand why taking The Headies to the moon sometimes is the right move, and our sponsors see the vision, we can stand firmly by our decisions,” he wrote.
Animashaun also responded to criticism of the awards, saying public opinion did not necessarily carry the same weight in every situation.
“Everyone is entitled to an opinion, but not every opinion carries equal weight. Posterity will be kind to those who see possibilities before they become obvious,” he added.
Although Animashaun did not mention any artiste by name or explicitly refer to the Grammy Awards, his comments come amid discussions surrounding submissions to international music awards and the challenges facing The Headies.
The remarks also come against the backdrop of criticism over the postponement of the awards’ planned ceremony in Toronto.
His comments have renewed conversations about the importance of local award platforms, artistes’ participation in Nigerian recognition schemes and the decisions organisers make in pursuit of their long-term ambitions.
