Entertainment
“Grammys Are Not For Nigerians” – Animashun
Media Mogul and CEO of Headies Awards, Ayo Animashun says that in truth, Nigerians don’t really need the Grammy Awards because it wasn’t made for us. He made the remark in a recent interview stressing that the makers and organisers of the Grammy Awards really do not care about artistes from this part of the world (Africa).
The Hip TV boss stated this when he was asked what limits Nigerian music from winning the Grammy awards. “I really don’t understand why Nigerians want to win the Grammys, Grammys are not for us they put everybody in one world music category, we are not their focus, the Americans are their focus, it is not for us, yes we can win awards but they don’t show us how they run the award category.
I think we should make our own awards, our own Grammy and would say it any day that Grammy is not for us. They have built something big for themselves, let them come and win the Headies, how about that? Even if it is not the Headies, let them come and win Afrima in Africa, we don’t celebrate our own things, it’s just a shame, I have been to the Grammys many times and I don’t see many African artistes, they don’t particularly care because they recognise mainly their own”.
“You are taking pictures with them, the guy is already looking somewhere else, see all the artistes that paid for international collabo, what happened?, they collect your money and they don’t want to come back, they don’t like to collabo with you and you know what, you will make so much money here if you really work hard and you will be known in the whole of Africa”.
Build your own, its just so wrong that I am the one saying this because cynics would say that he is saying it because he wants people to be associated with his award, let it be other awards, if I tell a sponsor that we should take five artistes to the Grammys they would be ready to do that, but when it comes to Headies we will be begging for sponsorship.
The Headies plague can stand head to head with any plague in the world because a lot of money is being spent to make it pure gold. We put everything in it, Grammy is not our thing lets do our thing, lets make it big and fantastic, why do you want to win Grammy, there is no world cup for music.
R&B star, Temilade Openiyi, popularly known as Tems, has recounted the early-career challenges she faced, revealing that she was once booed out of the stage while performing at a school event.
Speaking in an interview with Newsmen, the Crazy Tings crooner shared that she wasn’t only booed but was also harassed with plastic bottles.
“I remember one time I was going to perform at my school as an up-and-coming singer and I thought I was going to receiving a standing ovation.
“But I got booed. They even threw plastic bottles at me,” she recalled.
Tems explained that despite the embarrassing incident and other such rejections, she remained determined to pursue a career in music.
The Tide Entertainment reports that Tems admitted that some of the initial rejections she faced could be due to her conviction to stick to her originality instead of doing covers or familiar sounds like most of her peers.
The Grammy-winning singer said looking back now, she is glad that she didn’t compromise her style despite the initial pressures.
A close associate of late singer Mohbad, Primeboy, has appealed for the artiste’s burial nearly three years after his death.
According to him, Mohbad’s body remains in the mortuary since September 12, 2023, pending burial arrangements.
The Tide Entertainment reports that in a statement Primeboy urged the family, public, and government to permit the burial, stating, “It’s been almost three years since Mohbad left us. His body is still in the mortuary. I’m begging the family, I’m begging the public, I’m begging the government, please let’s bury our brother. He deserves a befitting burial.”
It would be recalled that Mohbad’s death sparked public outrage, protests, and investigations. Ongoing autopsy examinations, police inquiries, and legal proceedings have delayed burial arrangements amid family disagreements and public scrutiny.