Some of the notable omissions in the 17th Headies Awards Nominations list

The Headies has unveiled the nominations for its 17th edition and it wasn’t without some surprise omissions.

The eligibility window for this award ceremony was fixed between April 1, 2023, and July 31, 2024. During this time, Nigerian artists released notable projects and records, many of which were nominated.

However, like every award ceremony, some omissions sparked conversations, especially given the profile of the artists involved and the quality of the snubbed material.

In this article, we considered some of the major snubs from the 17th Headies Awards nominations list.

Note: This write-up is based on the assumption that the omitted works were submitted.

BEST RECORDING OF THE YEAR

TEMS – BURNING

SEYI VIBEZ – DIFFERENT PATTERN

BURNA BOY – HIGHER

AYRA STARR & GIVEON – LAST HEARTBREAK SONG

SARZ FEATURING LOJAY – BILLIONS

NOTABLE SNUBS: ASAKE – ‘Lonely At The Top’, ODUMODUBLVCK – ‘Blood On The Dance Floor’

Ahead of the awards predictions for this category favoured Asake‘s hit record ‘Lonely At The Top’ whose composition carries an imposing quality that made it the standout track from his sophomore album ‘Work Of Art’.

Also, OdumoduBlvck‘s ‘Blood On The Dance Floor’ is one of the most musically accomplished singles in the year in review and its omissions come as a surprise.

PRODUCER OF THE YEAR

SARZ – HAPPINESS

LONDON – OZEBA

MAGICSTICKS – BASQUIAT

REMA/PRODUCER X/CUBEATZ/DEATZ/KLIMPERBOY – HEHEHE

DIBS – DIFFERENT PATTERN

NOTABLE SNUBS: P.PRIIME, JAY SYNTHS, BLAISE BEATZ, KZITO

In the year in review, P.Priime had an emphatic run that included producing a bulk of Rema’s successful sophomore album ‘HEIS’. It comes as a shock that he couldn’t secure a spot among the nominees.

Jay Synths was the man behind Flavour‘s ‘Big Baller’ which earned two nominations including one for Song of the Year. He also produced one of the defining hits of 2023 in KCee’s ‘Ojapiano’. Many observers will find his omission puzzling.

Blaise Beatz produced one of the biggest hits of 2024 Kizz Daniel’s ‘Twe Twe’ whose beat richly explores Nigerian indigenous folk drums. However, this wasn’t enough for him to earn a nomination.

If musical accomplishment is a basis for nomination in this category, it’s also puzzling to see why KZITO wasn’t nominated for his contributions to Victony’s Album of the Year nominated project ‘Stubborn’ notable for the track ‘Pier 46’.