Earlier in the year, Smooth Promotions, producers of the biggest music award event in Nigeria – at the moment – announced that the 17th and 18th editions of the event will be held in 2025.
This comes after the indigenous cum continental music awards ceremony was held in Atlanta, United States of America for two years – the 15th and 16th editions.
The 17th edition is the first of two ceremonies planned for 2025, and the edition has been marred with knocks and controversies despite rewarding a long list of Nigerian creatives and few African creatives.
A total of 31 entertainers, majorly musicians, were rewarded in different categories of the awards ceremony.
In the same vein, five non-Nigerian singers were rewarded for their music, including newly wedded Juma Jux, and five personalities were also rewarded for their humanitarian activities and support for the creative industry. The personalities include Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Alex Okosi, Amaju Pinnick, Temitola Adekunle Johnson, and Michelle Mukoro aka King Mitchy.
The 17th edition kicked off wrongly from the invitation dispatch to the awards ceremony night itself.
The Nation’s reporter had a bad experience getting the invitation and narrating the ordeal while trying to pick up an invite at a designated point.
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“On Saturday April 26, I had one of the most frustrating experiences in my career while attempting to pick up my access pass to attend The Headies Awards. Earlier in the week, my boss had forwarded the official invitation email to me, which clearly stated that passes must be picked up at Eko Signature by 7:00 PM on Saturday, without exception. In line with the instructions, I called the designated contact number before leaving home to inform them I was coming. I spoke to a lady who acknowledged my call and assured me that someone would attend to me upon arrival. I got to the Eko Hotel well ahead of the 7:00 PM deadline. Upon arrival, I called the lady again. She said she would ask someone to call me and attend to me. Shortly after, a young man called and informed me that pass distribution would not begin until 6:30 PM. He asked me to wait.
“I waited patiently at the pickup point, continuously checking in with the man on the phone. Each time, he reassured me that he was on his way. I stayed there waiting, calling at intervals, yet no one came to meet me physically.
By 8:00 PM — three hours after my arrival — the man finally showed up. However, instead of seeing me, he went straight into a hotel room at Eko Signature. When I called him again, he casually informed me that he was not in charge of issuing invites.”
The experience by many in getting invitations set the rhythm and tone for what eventually happened at the ceremony.
Little wonder, Cubana Chief Priest, who recently made his entry into the industry as a singer following the release of his song, ‘More Money’ featuring Boypee, Brown Joel, and Hyce was denied entry.
Contrary to the specified time of event kick off after the red carpet, the event did not take off until four hours after specified time. Guests and the audience waited in vain to catch a glimpse of the awards ceremony early enough before retiring home but many left before it was even four hours.
The organisation and backstage took a not so good turn with many wondering if the event hadn’t been planning for a year.
“The 17th edition was supposed to have been held in 2024 yet the organisers took their time to hold it in 2025 yet they seemed so unorganised and unapologetic. For a music awards ceremony that boasts of being the biggest in Nigeria, the whole experience was a shame. I really wondered what the organisers learned in their two year stint in the United States. It was nothing short of a mess,” an attendee told The Nation.
As if all these were not enough, organisers ran out of the Headies awards, which were presented to winners , mid show. A number of winners couldn’t get their reward physically at the event ceremony.
This abnormally irked several winners, who couldn’t get their Headies, including Shallipopi, who lost the Best Street Hop artist and Digital Artist of the year categories but won the category of Best Rap Single category for the remix of his hit single, ‘Cast,’ with Odumodublvck.
Angered by the mess, Shallipopi vows to boycott the 18th Headies, scheduled for December 2025 and shaded the organisers saying he’s not a rapper, hence, should not have been categorised under Best Rap Single category.
Just as Shallipopi expressed his anger, Odumodublvck created a scene when his microphone was turned off mid-way into his acceptance speech.
The rapper, who won the Headies Next Rated category on the night couldn’t hide his disappointment and rather than get frustrated to leave the stage, he remained put until the microphone was restored for him to complete his acceptance speech.
Several individuals have blamed the organisers for a bad experience at the event, especially because Odumodublvck received the award in company of his mother and close associates number 10.
With the 18th Headies Awards scheduled for December 2025, it is unsure if the bad taste left in the mouth of guests at the 17th award will not affect attendance.
