Gospel artiste Gaise Baba has criticised The Headies for what he described as the marginalisation of faith-based music, calling for gospel songs to be judged in mainstream categories based on quality and impact.
In an open letter to the organisers dated August 28, 2026, the singer reflected on his experience as a nominee and questioned the awards’ structure.
Gaise Baba, who identifies as a leading voice in Afrogospel, said he has been active in the Nigerian music industry for over 15 years and has the right to speak on the direction of the awards.
He said, ‘As a faith-based artiste, or gospel as it is more commonly called, I have always had an outlook of not being limited in expression or restricted to only religious gatherings; I will engage across the length and breadth of the industry within which I play, in this case, the Music Industry.’
He stated that faith-based artistes should not be limited to religious spaces and should engage fully across the music industry.
He argued that music should be categorised by craft, not content.
According to him, a rap record remains a rap record regardless of whether it addresses money, fame, sex, or faith, and that elements like songwriting, delivery and flow determine the genre.
He said, ‘A rap record is a rap record. It does not stop being rap because of what the artiste chose to rap about. Whether the record is about money, fame, sex, debauchery, or faith, the craft, pen game, cadence, delivery, and the flow are what make it a rap record, not the subject matter.’
He said restricting gospel songs to inspirational categories removes them from conversations they deserve to be part of.
‘A rap song with gospel content, considered only within ‘gospel’ or ‘inspirational’ categories and never as ‘rap’, is being quietly removed from a conversation it has every right to be part of,’ he added.
The 18th Headies is scheduled for October 25, 2026, in Toronto, Canada, with nominees across 35 categories.
Afrobeats stars dominate most of the major categories this year.
Gaise Baba acknowledged the introduction of the Inspirational category in 2022 as a positive step, but expressed disappointment over the last edition.
He was nominated in the category, featuring Tope Alabi, alongside Anendlessocean, Mercy Chinwo, Dunsin Oyekan and Limoblaze.
He said his team attended all pre-award activities, yet the category was not presented on stage.
He described the omission as a disregard for the nominated creatives, and noted that other categories were also left out despite a ceremony that ran over five hours.
He said, ‘The Inspirational category wasn’t the only one left uncalled; the same disregard applies to every other category affected. Thirty categories can be called on a night that stretched beyond five hours.’
He urged organisers to ensure every announced category gets stage recognition.
He further questioned the double standard in how songs are judged, asking why records centred on sexual themes could compete for artistic recognition while faith-based songs are confined to one category.
He asked, ‘If a song that explores sexual desire and the objectification of a woman’s body is celebrated for its artistic value and allowed full sway in the industry’s ocean, why should the one on faith be restricted to an aquarium?’
The singer also challenged stakeholders to consider the cultural impact of gospel songs, citing Favour and No Turning Back II as examples.
He asked how many songs in the current year had matched their reach across Nigeria and beyond.
He asked, ‘How many records released in the current year under review have had a greater ‘cultural impact’, across the length and breadth of this country and maybe even beyond, than FAVOR or NO TURNING BACK II?’
For the 2026 edition, Gaise Baba and Lawrence Oyor’s No Turning Back 2 is nominated for Best Inspirational Single, competing with Sunmisola Agbebi, Lawrence Oyor, Sinach, EmmaOMG and Mercy Chinwo.