Oyinkansola Sarah Aderibigbe, a Nigerian artist better known by her stage name Ayra Starr, has voiced her displeasure with the Headies Awards organisers for their casual approach towards female performers.
Arya Starr won the ‘Best Female Artiste’ category at the 16th edition of the Headies, which took place on Sunday, defeating industry heavyweights like Tiwa Savage, Simi, and Tems.
Unfortunately, the event’s organisers were unable to give awards in 13 categories, including Starr’s, as actress Osas Ighodaro, one of the hosts, unexpectedly declared the event to be over.
Read Also: France Insists On Abaya Ban As Schools Resume For New Session
These categories included Best Female Artiste, 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.
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.
Arya took to X, formerly Twitter, to vent her anger, saying, “I will never be grateful for winning a category that wasn’t even deemed fit to be announced on stage!”
Hailing her fellow nominees for their dedication to the craft, Arya Starr slammed the organisers for their nonchalance towards the female hit makers.
“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.
