Singer of the popular song 'No Turning Back', Giase Baba, in his recent post on social media, has called the Headies Awards following their 2026 nominations.
Gospel singer Gaise Baba has called on The Headies to reconsider how faith-based music is represented at the awards, arguing that gospel artistes should be allowed to compete in mainstream categories when their music meets the required artistic standards.
The Afrogospel artiste made his position known in an open letter addressed to the organisers of The Headies and published on X on Friday, August 28, 2026.
His comments come ahead of the 18th edition of The Headies, which is scheduled to take place in Toronto, Canada, on October 25, with nominees competing across 35 categories.
Gaise Baba, who has spent more than 15 years in the Nigerian music industry, said his experience as a faith-based artiste gives him a perspective worth considering in discussions about the direction of the awards.
Gaise Baba questions gospel music categorisation
At the centre of Gaise Baba's argument is the classification of faith-based music primarily under inspirational or gospel categories.
The singer maintained that the subject of a song should not determine the musical category in which it competes.
Using rap as an example, he argued that a rap song should be recognised as rap regardless of whether its lyrics address money, relationships, social issues or faith.
According to him, elements such as songwriting, delivery, cadence, flow and overall musical craftsmanship should determine how a record is judged.
He argued that restricting a rap record with faith-based lyrics to an inspirational category effectively prevents it from competing for recognition in the broader rap field.
For Gaise Baba, the same principle should apply across other genres, meaning a gospel-themed song should be able to compete in categories such as songwriting, production, performance or genre-specific awards where it meets the criteria.
Singer recalls previous Headies experience
Gaise Baba also referenced his experience at the previous edition of The Headies, where he was nominated in the Inspirational Music category for his song Particularly, featuring veteran gospel singer Tope Alabi.
The category also featured Anendlessocean, Mercy Chinwo, Dunsin Oyekan and Limoblaze.
According to the singer, his team participated in the activities surrounding the awards, including media rounds, the pre-award reception and the main ceremony.
However, he said the Inspirational Music category was not presented during the ceremony.
Gaise Baba described the decision as disappointing and argued that nominees in categories that were not called on stage were denied an important moment of recognition.
He also noted that the Inspirational category was not the only award left unpresented, but questioned why an event that ran for more than five hours could not find time to announce all of its publicly listed categories.
‘Faith-based music deserves a bigger platform’
The singer's criticism goes beyond the organisation of the awards ceremony.
He questioned what he sees as an imbalance in how music is evaluated, arguing that records exploring subjects considered controversial can be assessed on their artistic qualities while songs centred on faith are often placed in a separate category.
Gaise Baba challenged the organisers and the wider music industry to consider whether separating faith-based music from mainstream categories could amount to limiting its visibility.
He also pointed to the wider cultural influence of gospel records, asking whether songs such as Favour and No Turning Back II have had less cultural impact than other records released during the current awards cycle.
His argument is that commercial success and artistic recognition should not be determined solely by the subject matter of a song.
Gaise Baba returns to the 2026 Headies
Despite his criticism, Gaise Baba remains part of the nominees for this year's Headies.
He and Lawrence Oyor's No Turning Back II are among the records nominated for Best Inspirational Single at the 2026 edition.
The category features six nominees, including works associated with Sunmisola Agbebi, Lawrence Oyor, Sinach, EmmaOMG and Mercy Chinwo.
The 18th Headies will take place in Toronto on October 25, bringing together some of Nigeria's biggest names in music alongside emerging acts across its 35 categories.
Gaise Baba's intervention has now opened a wider conversation about whether faith-based music should continue to be primarily recognised through dedicated inspirational categories or whether artistes should be able to compete across mainstream categories according to genre, quality and impact.
As the awards approach, attention will be on whether The Headies organisers respond to the singer's concerns and whether future editions could adopt a broader approach to recognising faith-based music within the Nigerian music industry.
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