Headies founder Ayo Animashaun says artistes post Grammy entries but skip The Headies, then complain about nominations. Here’s the gist and why it’s trending.
Ever seen someone skip the family party, then complain that nobody invited them? That’s the vibe behind what Headies founder Ayo Animashaun shared on Instagram on Thursday.
In two stories, he took a swipe at artistes who happily announce their entries to foreign awards but allegedly don’t submit anything to
The Headies. Then, he said, those same people complain when no nomination comes. He also claimed the foreign bodies don’t really care about them, and he ended the first post by calling the whole thing funny.
He didn’t name anybody. He didn’t mention the Grammys or Toronto either. But people connected the dots pretty fast.
Because Grammy talk is loud right now. Davido has submitted his album Oriadé, plus songs like ‘B4 B4’ and ‘Nakupenda’. Asake and Seun Kuti are going for Best African Music Performance, and Tems and Ayra Starr are reportedly in the mix too.
Meanwhile, The Headies has had a bumpy few months. In June, Animashaun announced that the 18th edition, themed Africa to the World, would hold in Toronto, Canada. He said the city offered partnerships, infrastructure and visibility. Not every fan loved the idea.
Then on October 10, the show was pushed from October 23 to April 10 and 11, 2027. Organisers said they needed more time to build activities in Nigeria and Canada. Animashaun apologised to guests who had already made plans, and some fans and ticket holders were openly frustrated online.
His follow-up sounded calmer, but still firm. He said The Headies can stand by its decisions as long as the people who benefit from it understand the vision, and the artistes and sponsors see it too. Everyone’s entitled to an opinion, he added, but “not every opinion carries equal weight.”
He also hinted that history tends to favour people who see things coming before everyone else does. Was that about Toronto? Maybe. He didn’t say.
This is a big year for the awards. It started in 2006 as the Hip Hop World Awards, and now it’s 20 years old. Animashaun runs it through Smooth Promotions and Hip TV.
So here’s the question hanging in the air. Should artistes show up for the home awards first? Or should the awards work harder to earn that attention? Either way, this conversation is far from over, and it’ll be interesting to see who answers back.
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