Oyinkansola Sarah Aderibigbe, the Nigerian singer widely recognized as Ayra Starr, has voiced her dissatisfaction with the Headies Awards organizers, citing their perceived indifference toward female musicians.
Despite defeating industry heavyweights like Tiwa Savage, Simi, and Tems, Starr claimed the title of Best Female Artiste at the 16th edition of the Headies, which took place on Sunday.
However, the organizers left 13 categories, including Starr’s, without award presentations after the event host, Osas Ighodaro, abruptly announced the event’s conclusion.
These overlooked categories encompassed Best Recording of The Year, Songwriter of The Year, Best RnB Single, Best Vocal Performance (Female), Headies Viewers’ Choice, and Best East African Artiste of the Year, among others.
Others include Best North African Artiste of The Year, Best Southern African Artiste of The Year, Best Central African Artiste of The Year, International Artiste Of The Year, Best Alternative Album, and Best RnB Album.
The artist known for ’19 and Dangerous’ turned to the platform formerly known as Twitter on Monday, expressing, “I can never feel thankful for winning a category that wasn’t even considered important enough to be announced on stage!”
While praising her fellow nominees for their commitment to their art, Starr criticized the organizers for their apparent lack of regard for female music artists.
“Best female artist na beans? We work hard, every single one of us! I’ve seen Tiwa record 4 hit songs in the same night, Tems breathes and lives for music. We didn’t deserve such nonchalance! Nigeria, you didn’t raise me to settle for less,” she wrote.
Tagged “Celebrating African Renaissance,” the 2023 Headies was held at Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center, Atlanta, United States of America.
