Entertainment
AU, AFRIMA UNVEIL NOMINEES FOR 6TH AWARDS CEREMONY
….Diamond Platnumz, Davido, Teniola, Fally Ipupa, AKA, Shatta wale, Amara Brown, DJ Arafat make the Regional Category list
….Continental Category scheduled for Release on August 23
…..Voting to commence from September 1 to November 22, 2019
…..AFRIMA Main Events slated for November 20-23, 2019
The African Union, AU and the International Committee of the All Africa Music Awards, AFRIMA unveiled the Nominees’ list (regional category) for its 6th edition at a World Media Conference on Wednesday, August 14, 2019, at the Abora Hall, of Eko Hotels And Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria
With an array of music industry professionals, artiste and music journalist in attendance to witness the unveiling of 2019 Nominees’ list for Regional and Continental category emerged from the 8,157 songs/videos received as entries from its online portal which closed earlier on August 2, 2019. The unveiling event was broadcast on African Independent Television (AIT), RayPower Fm and Kennis Music FM as the remaining 25 continental categories will be released on Friday, August 23, 2019 after auditing by the International auditors of AFRIMA.
The Regional category for Best Female Artistes and Best Male Artistes of the five regions (Western, Southern, Eastern, Northern, and Central Africa) have been thoroughly selected from the entries to reveal artiste who will be competing at the 2019 awards ceremony.
This year’s list showcases a wide range of creativity and talents both from new and known artiste across the regions. Artiste like Shatta Wale, Kizz Daniel, Salif Keita, Burna Boy will be competing for the Best Male category in Western Africa, while Teniola, Simi, Aya Nakamura, Mzvee, Yemi Alade amongst others will be competing for the Best Female category in Western Africa. Dominating Central Africa include Cameroonian artiste Blanche Baily, Charlotte Dipanda, Daphne alongside their male counterpart Locko, Magasco and Salatiel.
For Eastern Africa; we have great contenders including Sheebah from Uganda; Vanessa Mdee from Tanzania; Nikita Kering from Kenya with Tanzanian Diamond platinum, Rayvanny, Mboso, and Kenyan Khaligraph Jones and Nyashinski.
Moroccan Yann’Sine, Ahmed Soultan, Amiinux, and Algerian Soolking with Cairokee from Egypt, Salma Rachid from Morocco will be battling it out in the Northern region for Best Male and Female category.
A huge representation for South African artiste as they hold sway over the Southern African region for both Male and Female categories. These artistes include AKA, Nasty C, Cassper Nyovest, Sjava, Black Coffee, Kelly Khumalo, Zonke, Nadia Nakai among others. Amara Brown, Tamy Moyo, Jah Prayzah, and Winky D also lock down few spots for Zimbabwe in the Southern regional category.
The Continental category comprising of different genres of music will be released Friday, August 23rd following an auditing process from the international auditors of AFRIMA.
Drawing from their pool of experience and professionalism, the 13-man jury, guided by the AFRIMA acronym FACEIT which stands for Fairness, Authenticity, Creativity, excellence, Integrity, and Transparency underwent a week-long process of thoroughly screening, categorizing, assessing, and grading from the thousands of entries in order to arrive at the best reflection of rich and creative talents embedded in African music, reviewed songs were produced between the period of August 1, 2018, to August 2, 2019.
Mr. Chris Syren, representing Southern Africa, speaking on behalf of the AFRIMA jury, gave a report on their activities including the tireless and assiduous process they had to embark upon during adjudication, the quality of works received, criteria for selection, and the voting process. He commended AFRIMA for its sense of inclusiveness and unity at leading the conversation of using music as a tool for integration and shared prosperity in Africa. The Head of Culture, Africa Union, Mrs. Angela Martins, via a video conference expressed her excitement of this year’s AFRIMA, its capacity to promote the African culture positively as well as called for more support for the continental initiative.
The AFRIMA online voting platform is set to open to the public on Sunday, September 1 and will run till November 22, where both continental and regional nominees in the 36 AFRIMA awarding categories will compete against one another for the coveted 23.9 carats gold-plated AFRIMA Trophy.
Nominees will depend on their fans and followers spread across the globe to vote for them in an open voting process via the AFRIMA website, www.afrima.org
The 2019 AFRIMA ceremony scheduled to hold on November 20-23, 2019 during a four-day fiesta of music, glamour, Afrocentricism and entertainment in the official awards Host City will commence with the Welcome Soiree followed by the AFRIMA Music Village, the Host City Tour, the Africa Music Business Summit, the exclusive Nominees Party and concludes with the live Awards Ceremony.
Fans of African music globally can follow along and take part in the AFRIMA 2019 events on social media, live stream on the AFRIMA website, the AFRIMA App and by tuning to over 84 television stations which are AFRIMA partners.
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ENTERTAINMENT: A Star is Born: Harcher’s Stunning 2025 Headies Appearance Leaves Fans Amazed By Ibrahim Kegbegbe
ENTERTAINMENT: A Star is Born: Harcher’s Stunning 2025 Headies Appearance Leaves Fans Amazed
By Ibrahim Kegbegbe
LAGOS, Nigeria — The 17th edition of the prestigious Headies Awards held on Sunday, April 27, 2025, may have celebrated Nigeria’s biggest music stars, but the night also marked a special turning point for a fast-rising name in the industry: Harcher.
Although he was not among this year’s official nominees, Harcher, signed under Bullion Records, stole a significant slice of the spotlight with his charismatic red carpet appearance — thrilling fans both at the venue and those watching from home.
The Headies, hosted by Nollywood’s darling Nancy Isime, delivered a night packed with electrifying performances, emotional tributes, and major wins for stars like Chike, Rema, and the late Mohbad. However, when Harcher stepped onto the red carpet and caught the attention of popular media personality Enioluwa Adeoluwa, it ignited a wave of excitement that would ripple beyond the event hall.
Dressed sharply and exuding confidence, Harcher spoke passionately about his dreams during a heartfelt interview with Enioluwa.
“I’ve always dreamed of collaborating with legends like Wizkid, Davido, Olamide, and Burna Boy,” Harcher said, flashing a humble yet hopeful smile as cameras clicked and fans cheered.
He also took a moment to praise the Headies organizers for their role in promoting Nigerian music globally.
“The Headies have done so much for Nigerian entertainment,” Harcher said. “It’s amazing to see how our music is now celebrated all over the world because of platforms like this.”
In that moment, fans at home couldn’t contain their excitement — many took quick screenshots of Harcher’s TV appearance, proudly sharing the images across social media with captions like, “Our star is next!” Those present at the venue also seized the opportunity, swarming around Harcher for photographs after his interview, capturing memories with an artist they believe is destined for greatness.
Bullion Records’ Brightest Prospect
Harcher’s journey with Bullion Records has been marked by steady growth, blending Afrobeat rhythms with the grit of Hip-hop to craft relatable, energetic anthems that resonate with Nigeria’s youth. With every release, he has gained momentum — and Sunday night proved that the industry is beginning to take notice too.
Bullion Records, known for nurturing new talents, has high hopes for Harcher, a sentiment echoed by fans who flooded the label’s hotline — the popular “Bullion Records Hot Number” — with congratulatory messages after the red carpet interview aired.
“This is just the beginning for Harcher,” a Bullion Records fan club member said during a live Twitter Space. “Today he’s being interviewed among legends, tomorrow he’ll be winning awards right on that same stage!”
The Power of the Headies Next Rated Dream
The Headies’ Next Rated category has historically been a launching pad for future megastars like Wizkid (2011), Davido (2012), Rema (2019), and Tems (2021). While the 2025 Next Rated Award went to Odumodublvck, fans are already tipping Harcher as a front-runner for future editions.
Winning Next Rated not only brings industry recognition but also car prizes, endorsements, and international exposure — a reward that many believe is within Harcher’s reach sooner than later.
A Night of Celebration for Music
The Headies 2025 celebrated outstanding talent across Africa. Chike’s ‘Egwu’ featuring the late Mohbad was a major winner, scooping the Viewers’ Choice Award and Best Music Video. Rema’s ‘Heis’ bagged Album of the Year, while Tems won Best Recording of the Year with “Burning.” Special recognition awards went to influential figures like Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Alex Okosi, and Amaju Pinnick.
Even with all these major wins, Harcher’s simple presence, filled with passion and gratitude, managed to capture hearts — a testimony to his growing influence.
Looking Ahead
As the lights dimmed at the Energy Centre where the Headies was held, and fans filed out into the Lagos night, one thing was clear: Harcher’s time is coming. His fans — the ones who screenshotted him from their living rooms and those who took selfies with him live at the event — will be the ones to proudly say, “We saw it first.”
The 2025 Headies may have officially crowned its winners, but for Harcher and his ever-growing fanbase, it was the night a new star officially stepped into the spotlight.
Laffmattazz: The frills and thrills in Ibadan (Photos)
The Easter Sunday edition of Laffmattazz with Gbenga Adeyinka and Friends themed ‘About Time’ may have come and gone, but not without leaving an indelible experience in the minds of attendees at the Jogor Centre, Ibadan.
Laffmattazz once again lived up to expectations, not just with a repertoire of top-notch performances from comedians and musicians, it offered a lot of giveaways and fun-filled experiences that cannot be forgotten in a hurry.
Gbenga Adeyinka, the Grand Comedian of the Federal Republic (GCFR) opened the epoch-making event with an electrifying ‘Dorime’ dance in the company of Kiekie.
This was followed by back-to-back performances from Peter ‘Mr P’ Okoye, one half of the famous P-Square group, Terry Akpala, Babatunmise, Keanzo, Omobaba No.1, Kenny Blaq, Taichi, Rapin Dady, Kiekie, Baba Alariya, Kamo State and Mr Escom, the rave of the moment and ‘pitipiti’ master.
Others included Stylo, Creative Tobi, Gbenga Laughter Castle, General Olak, Dr. Spencer, Parkage, Dr. Arotele, Pretty Fola and Pretty Arike, while DJ Secxy and DJ Mass showed their dexterity with monster hit mixes.
Also adding spice and glamour to the event were Sola Sobowale, Kunle Afolayan, Seun Soyinka, Toyosi Adesanya, the Oyin Adejobis, Lalude, FIRS top staff and top staff of 14 radio stations in Ibadan to mention a few.
It was indeed a night of complete entertainment as attendees engaged in a lot of games, winning prizes worth millions of naira in the process.
The fans participated in the Ibadan Yoruba challenge, dance competition, and there was a haircut segment on stage sponsored by HAIRSENSE Salon, who also gave out 10 clippers, while Bonike Bakery gave out many loaves of bread.
The Alhaji Razak Okoya owned Eleganza was not left out, giving out a lot of coolers, as there was plenty to drink, courtesy of Bigi.
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