The organizers of The Headies have rejected claims that gospel and inspirational artistes are being pushed aside at the annual music awards.
Naija News reports that the organizers said faith-based musicians remain qualified to compete in major categories alongside artistes from other genres.
They made this known in a statement shared on their official Instagram page on Monday, August 31, 2026, following concerns raised by Afrogospel singer Gaise Baba over the treatment of gospel music at the awards.
Gaise Baba had questioned why gospel and inspirational artistes appeared to have limited opportunities in some of the major categories at The Headies.
He argued that artistes should be assessed based on the quality, sound and impact of their music rather than the religious message contained in their songs.
Responding to the concerns, The Headies said its history does not support the claim that gospel artistes are excluded from major award categories.
The organizers pointed to several gospel and inspirational musicians who have competed successfully against artistes in mainstream music categories.
Among the artistes mentioned were Lara George, Kefee, Nikki Laoye and Timi Dakolo.
The organisers recalled Lara George’s recognition for her song Ijoba Orun and Kefee’s success with Kokoroko, which featured Timaya.
Timi Dakolo was also cited as an example of a gospel-rooted artiste who received major recognition at the awards.
The singer won three awards on one night, including Recording of the Year, Best Vocal Performance (Male) and Best R&B Single.
The Headies said these past results show that gospel and inspirational artistes have been able to compete for and win awards outside categories created specifically for faith-based music.
The organizers also defended the Best Inspirational Single category, which was introduced in 2022.
They explained that the category was created to give inspirational and faith-based music another opportunity to receive recognition and was not intended to prevent such songs from competing in other categories.
Since the category was introduced, artistes such as Kcee and Okwesili Eze Group, Neon Adejo and Mercy Chinwo have won the award.
According to The Headies, gospel musicians can still enter other categories when their songs meet the requirements and standards for those categories.
The organizers therefore maintained that having a dedicated inspirational category should not be viewed as a restriction on gospel music.
