Headies Award returns to Nigeria

The Headies, Nigeria’s biggest music award, is set to return home with the hosting of two separate editions of the annual show in 2025, its organisers have said.

In a video shared on Headie’s X page, Ayo Animashuan, founder of The Headies, said the 17th edition of the award would take place on April 5, focusing on the music of 2024.

He also revealed that the nominations list for this 17th edition will be released on February 12,and the 18th edition would take place in December, celebrating music from 2024 and 2025 respectively.

He said: “This awards that is happening in April was meant to happen last year, but for some reasons, it didn’t happen last year.

“We did not want to miss a calendar year… So the next is going to happen in December. It is going to be a part of the Detty December trend.”

It was reported that the Headies, originally called Hop World Awards, is a prestigious music awards show established in 2006 to recognise outstanding achievements in the Nigerian music industry.

The first edition, hosted by Darry Art Alade, was held on March 10 at the Shell Hall of the MUSON center on Onikan, Lagos.

Some artistes who were on the honour’s roll at the maiden edition of the Headies include Don Jazzy, P-Square, Jude Okoye, Mode 9,DJ Jimmy Katt, Keke Ogungbe and Dayo.

However the organisers took the 16th Headies Awards to the United States, hosting at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center in Atlanta, Georgia on September 3, 2023.

The biggest winners of the night were Rema and Burna Boy, who each took home three awards, other winners included Wizkid, Davido, Ayra Starr, Asake and Omah Lay.

The event was also marked by the induction of Angelique Kidjo into the Headies Hall of Fame.

In February 2024, the award organisers, disclosed that the 17th award event would return to Nigeria after hosting the 2022 and 2023 editions in the United States.