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It’s been another fantastic year for Nigerian music globally. The songs are charting, the artists are headlining, and Afrobeats is undeniably one of the biggest genres in the world. But something feels… off. For all the success we’ve seen in 2024, there hasn’t been a single Nigerian music award ceremony to celebrate it. Not one.
No Headies, no SoundCity MVP, no AFRIMA. Even the Trace Awards, which showed promise last year, didn’t happen. For a country leading the global music conversation, that’s a strange reality.
The Global Hype vs. Local Apathy
Let’s be honest—Nigerian music doesn’t need a sales pitch anymore. It’s doing incredibly well internationally. Rema, Burna Boy, Asake, and others are all over global stages, racking up awards and breaking records. But back home? The infrastructure to document and celebrate these achievements seems shaky at best.
Here’s the thing: global awards like the Grammys are great, but they’re not designed to tell our story. They won’t celebrate the subtle cultural shifts or the smaller wins that matter to us. If we don’t recognize our own, who will?
Why Are We Here?
Some might point to the usual suspects—economic challenges, lack of sponsorship, or poor organization. Sure, those play a role. But there’s also this sense that the people who should care the most—artists, labels, and other industry players—aren’t doing enough to support local recognition platforms.
It’s not entirely their fault, though. Many of these awards have struggled with credibility and relevance. When people don’t trust the process, it’s hard to build enthusiasm around it. Add that to the constant financial struggles, and it’s easy to see why organizers might throw in the towel.
What Can Be Done?
Here’s where things get interesting. Instead of seeing this as a failure, maybe it’s time to see it as a chance to rethink everything. Nigerian music is bigger than it’s ever been. There’s an opportunity to build something fresh, something that truly reflects where the industry is now.
For starters, we need new players—people with fresh ideas and a willingness to take risks. Why not use technology to make awards more transparent and engaging? Imagine fan-driven voting systems that actually work or virtual ceremonies that save on costs.
But it’s not just about the organizers. Artists need to step up too. It’s not enough to win big abroad; they have to invest in building systems at home. And the same goes for sponsors. Nigerian music is a global brand—investing in it locally should be a no-brainer.
Moving Forward
It’s wild that in a year when Nigerian music reached such incredible heights, there’s no local stage to celebrate it. Awards aren’t just about trophies—they’re about telling our story and leaving a legacy.
The Nigerian music industry is at a crossroads. We can keep chasing international applause, or we can also look inward and build the structures we need to thrive locally. Because if we don’t tell our own story, someone else will—and they might not get it right