The Headies 2019 may have come and gone but the memories will, indeed, linger for a while. ROTIMI IGE, in this analysis, x-rays the various reactions from the event and how it generated heated conversations across Nigeria, especially on the internet, since it was held last Saturday.
One of the most anticipated events within the Nigerian entertainment industry is the Headies award, orchestrated to celebrate Nigerian music and all that it encompasses. The award, over the years, has been remarkably effective in projecting music stars; the upcoming ones and veterans, promoting brands, promoting talents and most of all, rewarding excellence. The Headies, now in its 13th year, has become one of Nigeria’s most prestigious musical awards and is always highly anticipated, since its debut in 2006.
This year’s edition didn’t turn out differently as the organisers celebrated showbiz and glamour, extraordinary stylings and momentous awkwardness which observing Nigerians and the prying eyes of social media users didn’t let slide.
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As Instagram and Twitter buzzed with red carpet pictures, many expressed their disinterest when with two hours to midnight, the show was not close to commencing. A number of tweets read had tones of disappointment of how the organisers wasted time before starting the event. Some tweeted that Headies was a popular award show, Nigeria’s Grammys, which should have been taken more seriously, but instead got the ‘African time’ factor to it.
At about 10:15 p.m, the show began proper and at the end of the night, singer Teni, Falz, Burna Boy, Mayorkun and Rema were the biggest winners and went home with immense rewards from the star-studded event.
Teni won the Best Recording of the Year, Best Pop Single, Best Vocal Performance and Viewers Choice awards while rapper Falz won the Best Rap Single and Best Rap Album awards. Burna Boy won the Best Collabo and Artiste of the Year awards while Rema took home the most coveted Next Rated award which came with a brand new GAC SUV.
Hosted this year by the duo of Nancy Isime and rapper, Reminisce, the event became the topic of most discussions in the entertainment circles since Satuday. While many are claiming that it had its fair share of the good, bad and the ugly scenarios, the general agreement according to various polls had been that of disappointment.
Immediately after the event, the website of a national newspaper (name withheld) had put out a poll asking for peoples opinions about the awards show. An overwhelming 73 per cent of total votes cast within the voting period voted dissatisfaction. This and other general views spurred Friday Treat to seek analysis and opinions about the event, with the following interesting submissions.
A blogger with Pulse.ng, in response to the turn of events at the awards had written, “First off, why do the Headies keep naming a song of the year when that song won’t win its genre category? How did ‘Case’ win Best Pop Single over Burna’s ‘Ye’ which won song of the year? It makes no sense and it’s not even a voting category. Something smells and it’s not party jollof rice.
“The worst case of twists is Seyi Shay winning Best R and B Single for ‘Gimme Love’ featuring Runtown. Like how? It’s not a voting category, so it should be about quality in songwriting, production, themes, vocal performance and production. This should have gone to ‘Serenade’ by Funbi. ‘Gimme Love’ is also not the most impactful song in that category”.
It seemed like a night of judgement for Headies, with the height of it being the confusing scenario of what social media termed ‘missing stars’. In no time, Nigerians kept social media up, trending with the hashtag #13thheadies, giving highlights of the events alongside their disappointment at the absenteeism of most of Nigerian top artistes, who mostly went to London for Starboyfest, organised by Wizkid. Mixed with jokes and dissatisfaction, some alleged that those who made it to the awards event — the likes of Falz and Teni — got extra awards for being there. Others commended a single Wizkid for pulling the main people to London – the likes of Burna Boy, who had the highest nominations (10); YBNL boss Olamide; Zlatan, who was nominated for the Next Rated award category; Naira Marley; Seyi Shay, who was a former host at an Headies edition; Tiwa Savage and a host of others. It didn’t go well with some Nigerians who expressed online that it felt as though the award was becoming less important to the artistes themselves and would not serve the purpose it was set for if not revisited, technically, in planning, organisation and importance.
Many claimed that the event pulled more former Big Brother Naija housemates, fashion designers and actors than the actual musicians that it was made for literally. It was therefore dissapointing to see that award recipients were not in attendance (this has happened for a few years) to receive the statues. The choices performing artistes, such as Zakky Azzay, a flat-sounding Victor AD/Duncan Mighty, and award presenters such as Regina Daniels’ mother, were lashed out at on Twitter for even getting an option of performing/presenting. It was a music industry night and the best of music was to be celebrated.
However, it wasn’t all gloom and doom as there were very laudable highlights at the event. Many said that it was refreshing to see Styl Plus mount the stage and serenade the audience with their many hits, while Dj Cuppy and comedian Bovi were lauded for the ingenuity during their presentation when they incorporated Cuppy’s trending Gelato into their set. People also were impressed by the quality of production and the stage/set design which was world class. Teni’s final performance along with former Big Brother housemate, Mike, also got plenty of applause from approving fans.
While there is no doubt that the Headies remains one of the most prestigious musical award events in Nigeria, the organisers have been advised to ensure full participation and involvement of relevant stakeholders that they promote, especially since their satellite TV station, Hip TV, gives immense publicity to Nigerian artistes, whether upcoming or top rated.
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