The Southeast music industry is set for a major new recognition platform as Afia Media Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Emeka Mba, has announced the launch of the Southeast Music Awards, SEMA, aimed at celebrating artistes, producers, songwriters and other creatives shaping the region’s music and cultural identity.
Mba made the announcement in Enugu on Friday, October 2, 2026, during a press conference ahead of the inaugural awards ceremony scheduled to hold on December 11 at the Base Landmark, Enugu.
Introducing SEMA, Mba said Afia Media deliberately chose the provocative question, “Who’s holding Southeast music back?”, as the subject of an upcoming conversation on X because the region must honestly examine the challenges facing its music industry before celebrating its achievements.
“On Sunday evening, Afia will host a conversation on X with a question that some may find uncomfortable: Who’s holding Southeast music back? We chose that rather provocative question deliberately. Because before we can celebrate properly, we must be honest about where we are,” Mba said.
He noted that the Southeast had never lacked musical talent, tracing the region’s musical heritage from legendary highlife acts to contemporary artistes who have gained national and international recognition.
“This region has never lacked music. From the highlife of Rex Lawson, Celestine Ukwu, Osita Osadebe, Oliver De Coque and the Oriental Brothers, to the voices of Onyeka Onwenu and Bright Chimezie, to the generation of Flavour, Phyno, Illbliss, Kcee, Jeriq, Kolaboy, and many more, the Southeast has given Nigeria, and the world, some of its most enduring sounds,” he said.
Mba also referenced the resurgence of interest in the music of Mike Ejeagha, noting that the veteran musician, a native of Enugu, recently captured global attention with a folk song recorded decades earlier.
“Only two years ago, the whole world was dancing to a folk tale sung by Mike Ejeagha, a son of this very city, recorded decades earlier. That is how deep the well runs,” he said.
He, however, lamented that despite the region’s rich musical heritage, many of its talents are discovered, validated and celebrated outside the Southeast.
“Yet too often, our talent is discovered elsewhere, validated elsewhere and celebrated elsewhere. Our artistes leave to be seen. Our producers work in the shadows. Our live music economy, our studios, our promoters and our managers have no common stage on which the region itself says: we see you, and we are proud of you,” Mba said.
“Today, we are changing that.”
According to him, SEMA is an initiative of Afia Media designed to move beyond documenting the culture and stories of the Southeast to directly honouring those responsible for shaping them.
“For several years, Afia has documented the people, businesses, culture and stories of the Southeast across Afia TV, Afia 99.3 FM and our digital platforms,” he said.
“SEMA takes that commitment one step further. We are moving beyond telling the story to honouring the people who write it.”
Mba said SEMA would recognise exceptional artistes, producers, songwriters, creatives and other industry stakeholders whose work continues to influence the sound, identity and cultural visibility of the Southeast.
The inaugural ceremony will hold alongside the My Enugu Story Awards on December 11 at the Base Landmark in Enugu.
“That pairing is intentional. My Enugu story, and the wider Southeast story, cannot be told without its music,” Mba said.
He described music as an important part of the region’s social and cultural history, noting that it accompanies major moments in the lives of the people.
“Music is how our people mourn, marry, worship, trade, protest and celebrate. It is our oldest archive,” he said.
Mba assured stakeholders that SEMA would be built around credibility, with a transparent nomination process and an independent jury comprising respected practitioners, critics and industry professionals.
“An award is only as valuable as the trust behind it. SEMA will be guided by a transparent nomination process and an independent jury of respected practitioners, critics and industry professionals. Winners will earn their place,” he said.
He disclosed that the awards would be determined through a voting structure comprising 70 per cent public votes and 30 per cent judges’ votes, while assuring that the process will be transparent and auditable.
The inaugural edition will feature seven award categories: Artiste of the Year, Song of the Year, Album/EP of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Producer of the Year, Music Video of the Year and the Lifetime Achievement Award, which will not be voted for.
Mba stressed that SEMA would not focus solely on artistes but would recognise the wider ecosystem behind the music industry, including producers, sound engineers, video directors, DJs, radio presenters, promoters, lawyers and managers.
“Music is not only the voice at the microphone. It is the producer, the sound engineer, the video director, the DJ, the radio presenter, the promoter, the lawyer who protects the rights, and the manager who builds the career. SEMA will honour them too,” he said.
He further described SEMA as an all-year platform rather than an event restricted to one awards night, saying Afia Media would use its television, radio and digital platforms to feature artistes, organise studio sessions and conversations, and create opportunities for talents to connect with brands, investors and audiences.
“SEMA will live all year on Afia TV, on radio and online, through artiste features, studio sessions, conversations like Sunday’s X Space, and opportunities to connect our talent with the brands, investors and audiences who should be paying attention,” he said.
Explaining the rationale behind the initiative, Mba said greater visibility for Southeast talents could help strengthen the region’s creative economy.
“Visibility is infrastructure. When a region celebrates its own, it builds confidence. Confidence attracts investment. Investment builds studios, venues, careers and jobs,” he said.
“A thriving music industry here means a young person in Enugu, Onitsha, Owerri, Aba or Abakaliki does not have to leave home to be taken seriously.”
Mba called on artistes, brands, corporate organisations, government institutions and the media to support the initiative, urging stakeholders to view music as an industry capable of generating economic opportunities.
“To government and institutions: let us work together to treat music not only as entertainment, but as industry,” he said.
He also urged the media to help promote the region’s music and creative talents.
“When the Southeast’s music is seen and heard, all of us are richer for it,” he said.
Mba announced that nominations for the inaugural SEMA would open on October 5, 2026, with details to be made available through Afia Media’s platforms.
He concluded by describing SEMA as more than an awards ceremony, saying it was designed to provide a platform for the Southeast’s music industry to be recognised by its own people.
“SEMA is more than an award. It is an opportunity to celebrate where we come from, to honour those carrying the culture forward, and to create a stage on which the Southeast’s music industry is seen, heard and celebrated, by us, first,” he said.
