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- The Headies Renege on US Strategy; Returns to Nigeria After Two Years of Gallivanting
The Headies Renege on US Strategy; Returns to Nigeria After Two Years of Gallivanting
“Having the awards in Nigeria, in Africa, the same old way, will not open new doors for these talents" - Animashaun, rationalizing The Headies move to America, speaking to Billboard in September 2022
In a press release, The Headies, Nigeria’s foremost music awards, announced its return to Lagos, Nigeria, after two years of hosting the award show in America. The Headies has been one of the most consistent award bodies in recognizing Nigerian talents since its inception in 2006.
After an initial 15-year run, The Headies moved to America in 2022. According to Ayo Animashaun, CEO of Smooth Productions, the sponsor of The Headies, the reason for the move was to "create opportunities for the world to see a different kind of entertainment from Nigeria”. Animashaun said the move would ensure that The Headies bridge both sides of the world, similar to how collaborations between Western and Nigerian acts have amplified Afrobeats music globally through cross-cultural collaborations.
“Having the awards in Nigeria, in Africa, the same old way, will not open new doors for these talents. That’s part of the reason why we moved it here…. [and] Atlanta is like the Black entertainment capital of the world. After asking questions about everything, a consultant said for this kind of award, Atlanta is a good spot for it. You have a lot going on here. We decided, “You know what? Let’s settle there and make a difference.”
— Animashaun, rationalizing The Headies move to America, speaking to Billboard in September 2022.
Animashaun also shunned the possibility of The Headies returning to Lagos any soon or even the possibility of rotating between America and Nigeria. He clearly expressed 👇,
“Right now, we don’t want to leave the nest yet ‘cause we put a lot in bringing the awards here. We started like a year and a half ago, and we want to see it through. This year will be like an experiment. We’d want to do better next year because we invested a lot to have it happen this year. And it would not be fair on everything we’re trying to build to just have this one and run away.”
In less than two years, The Headies seemed to backtrack on this seemingly well-thought-out strategy, leaning towards Nigeria’s loss to South Africa at the just-concluded GRAMMYs, alongside Rema’s acceptance speech at the last Headies event where he emphasized the need to build and support local institutions.
This would become a soft announcement of The Headies’ [inevitable] return to Lagos, Nigeria after two years of ‘gallivanting’, as Joey would call it.
In its press release, it shared more about the return, saying 👇
The Headies followed the [Afrobeats] music in honor of its explosion. As the event that recognized the arrival of our major music talents way before they conquered the world, we understand the importance of taking the good news of great music to new frontiers. So, the 2022 and 2023 editions of The Headies held in the US. The world got a chance to see our global stars and our future stars.
This year-2024 (The 17th Headies)-we are bringing the world back home!: To the place that birthed the sound that has led everybody to the dancefloor, that has launched viral videos, that has put our continent right at the center of global pop culture.
Sounds about right! 😅