The 18th Headies Awards nominees were unveiled on Tuesday, 25 August 2026, with FOLA being the most nominated artist with 10 nominations. His was nominated in Best Recording of the Year, Songwriter of the Year, Best RandB Album, Best Collaboration, Afrobeats Single of the Year, Headies Viewer’ Choice, Album of the Year, Digital Artiste of the Year, Next Rated, and Best Male Artiste.
Wizkid and Omah lay earned seven nominations, Asake, Davido and rising star Mavo had six nominations, Adekunle Gold, Ayra Starr has Tiwa Savage had five nominations while Burna Boy, ODUMODUBLVCK, AMAEYA, SEWA, Kunmie and Rema share four nominations each.
Only music materials including singles, videos, EPs and albums released and distributed on digital streaming platforms within the year in review, from 1 August 2024 to 30 April 2026, were considered for nomination. This period captured a stretch of two years for Nigerian and African music, defined by major album releases, street-hop dominance, high-profile collaborations and sustained global chart presence that kept Afrobeats firmly in the international spotlight.
According to The Headies, the award show will be held abroad once again, this time in Toronto, Canada. Below are the categories presented with official criteria.
Full List
Afrobeats Album of the Year
A voting category for the best Afrobeats album or EP (solo or group) in the year under review that meets judges’ requirements of excellence (songwriting, production, rendition and impact).
5IVE – DAVIDO
CAPTAIN – BNXN
CLARITY OF MIND – OMAH LAY
FUJI – ADEKUNLE GOLD
MORAYO – WIZKID
NO SIGN OF WEAKNESS – BURNA BOY
Album of the Year
A voting category for the best overall album or EP (solo or group) in the year under review that meets judges’ requirements of excellence (songwriting, production, rendition and impact).
CATHARSIS – FOLA
CLARITY OF MIND – OMAH LAY
G.O.A.T – ERIGGA
MORAYO – WIZKID
THE MACHINE IS COMING – ODUMODUBLVCK
THIS ONE IS PERSONAL – TIWA SAVAGE
NO SIGN OF WEAKNESS – BURNA BOY
SONG OF THE YEAR
A category that recognises the song that achieved the greatest cultural impact within the year under review.
‘ARIKE’- KUNMIE
‘HEY JAGO’- POCO LEE, SHODAY and RAHMAN JAGO
‘HOT BODY’- AYRA STARR
‘JOY IS COMING’ – FIDO
‘MMS’ – ASAKE and WIZKID
‘WITH YOU” – DAVIDO FT. OMAH LAY
AFROBEATS SINGLE OF THE YEAR
A category for the year’s most outstanding Afrobeats single by a single individual or group.
‘FUN’- REMA
‘JOGODO’- ASAKE and WIZKID
‘JOY IS COMING’- FIDO
‘LAHO’- SHALLIPOPI
‘WITH YOU’- DAVIDO FT. OMAH LAY
‘YOU’- FOLA
‘BUNDLE BY BUNDLE’- BURNA BOY
Best Street-Hop Artiste
A category that recognises the artist whose music best reflects street culture and resonates strongly with grassroots audiences.
FAMOUS PLUTO – NA SCRA
KASHCOMING – ALL MY MONEY
POCO LEE – HEY JAGO (W/ SHODAY and RAHMAN JAGO)
SEYI VIBEZ – SHAOLIN
SHALLIPOPI – LAHO
TUFF KING – NKEMAKONAM
RYBEENA – GADDEM (W/ SHODAY)
Best Rap Album
Recognises the best rap album or EP by an artist or group in the year under review.
TUFF KING – BLACK SHEEPIZEN (THE 13TH DISCIPLE)
A-Q – GE3 (THE BEGINNING)
ERIGGA – G.O.A.T
JERIQ – KING
BLAQBONEZ – NO EXCUSES
ODUMODUBLVCK – THE MACHINE IS COMING
BEST RAP SINGLE
A category that recognises the best rap song released as a single, by a solo artiste or group in the year under review.
‘2:02 PM IN LONDON’- ODUMODUBLVCK
‘ACL’- BLAQBONEZ
‘MAN2MAN’- DREMO
‘MOSHOOD’- PDSTRN
‘NKEMAKONAM’- TUFF KING
‘WUSE TU’ – ZAYLEVELTEN, MAVO
‘JOHN WICK’- ZHUS JDO
Lyricist on the Roll
A non-voting category for the rapper with the most lyrical depth on a song in the year under review.
BLAQBONEZ – ACL
DREMO – MAN2MAN
MODENINE – IF YOU LIKE GYM (W/ ODUMODUBLVCK)
PDSTRN – MOSHOOD
YCEE – MAN2MAN REMIX (W/ DREMO)
Best Alternative Song
Category for the best song that creatively explores sounds outside the mainstream.
CYK BADDIE – LUWA.MP4 and JELEEL!
LAGOS LOVIN – SEWA
OLIVER – WIZARD CHAN
OMO TO SEXY – BLNDE
PRADA BABY – WAVE$TAR
SWEET DANGER – OBONGJAYAR
SUMMER ADINA – CHIEF PRIEST, BOYPEE and ZORO SWAGBAG
BEST ALTERNATIVE ALBUM
A category for the best Alternative album or EP by an artist or group in the year under review.
AFRIKA MAGIK- SDC
DETOX- SEWA
DUPLICITY- BOJ
HEALERS CHAPEL- WIZARD CHAN
OLORIN PACK- SCOTTYOLORIN
THEN 1T GOT CRAZY- ZAYLEVELTEN
Music Video of the Year
Award presented to the video director of the most outstanding music video within the year under review.
DIRECTOR PINK – 10 KILO (DAVIDO)
TG OMORI – AFROCULTURE (FLAVOUR FT. BAABA MAAL)
DK – BUNDLE BY BUNDLE (BURNA BOY)
JYDE AJALA – WIZARD CHAN
MEJI ALABI – WHO’S DAT GIRL (AYRA STARR FT. REMA)
DAMMY TWITCH – WITH YOU (DAVIDO FT. OMAH LAY)
DIGITAL ARTISTE OF THE YEAR
A voting category for the artist or group with the most outstanding achievement and digital impact in the year under review.
ASAKE
AYRA STARR
BNXN
CHELLA
FOLA
MAVO
SEYI VIBEZ
WIZKID
BEST RECORDING OF THE YEAR
A category that recognises the most outstanding recorded song released during the year under review, celebrating excellence in recording quality and musical execution.
‘ARIKE’- KUNMIE
‘HOW DO YOU?’- AMAEYA
‘BABY (IS IT A CRIME)’- REMA
‘COPING MECHANISM’- OMAH LAY FT. ELMAH
‘WITH YOU’ – DAVIDO FT. OMAH LAY
‘YOU’- FOLA
Best Collaboration
A vote category that recognises the most outstanding collaborative recording featuring two or more artistes.
CKAY and MAVO – BODY (DANZ)
MAVO and WAVE$TAR – ESCALADIZZY
POCO LEE, SHODAY and RAHMAN JAGO – HEY JAGO
ODUMODUBLVCK and VICTONY – PITY THIS BOY
DAVIDO and OMAH LAY – WITH YOU
MR EAZI and KING PROMISE – SEE WHAT WE’VE DONE
CHIEF PRIEST and SPYKI – FINALLY
Best RandB Album
Recognises the best RandB album or EP by an individual or group.
BEFORE WE BECAME STRANGERS – KUNMIE
CATHARSIS – FOLA
I AM THE BLUEPRINT – QING MADI
LOVE IS A KINGDOM – TEMS
REFLECTION STATION – TAY IWAR
THIS ONE IS PERSONAL – TIWA SAVAGE
BEST RandB SINGLE
Recognises the best RandB single by a solo artist or group released in the year under review.
‘6:35’- LAYEFA
‘HOW DO YOU?’- AMAEYA
‘I LOVE YOU’- AMMA
‘WHAT YOU NEED’- TEMS
‘WINTER and SUMMER’- MAGIXX
‘YOU4ME’-TIWA SAVAGE
Best Female Artiste
A category for the female artiste with outstanding cultural impact, having a minimum of 3 singles or an EP/album in the year under review.
AYRA STARR
QING MADI
SEWA
TEMS
TENI
TIWA SAVAGE
BEST MALE ARTISTE
A category for the male artiste with outstanding cultural impact, having a minimum of 3 singles or an EP/album in the year under review.
ADEKUNLE GOLD
ASAKE
FOLA
MAVO
REMA
WIZKID
BURNA BOY
PRODUCER OF THE YEAR NOMINEES
An award that is presented to the producer responsible for the most exceptional production on a song, EP or album released during the year under review.
MAGICSTICKS- ‘JOGODO’ BY ASAKE and WIZKID AND ‘REAL, VOL. 1’ BY ASAKE and WIZKID
P.PRIIME- ‘MMS’ BY ASAKE and WIZKID, ‘BABY (IS IT A CRIME)’ BY REMA,’BILLIONAIRES CLUB’ BY OLAMIDE, DARKOO and WIZKID
RAGEE- ‘HOT BODY’ BY AYRA STARR AND ‘WHO’S DAT GIRL’ BY AYRA STARR FT. REMA
SARZ- ‘GETTING PAID’ BY SARZ ASAKE, WIZKID and SKILLIBENG AND ‘UHH YEAHH’ BY ASAKE AND ‘C’MON LOOK!’ BY SARZ FT. ASAKE
TEMPOE – ‘WITH YOU’ BY DAVIDO FT. OMAH LAY AND ‘SMH’ BY JOEBOY
International Artiste of the Year
A voting category for the non-African artiste or group that made the most significant contribution to the global growth of Afrobeats.
CIARA
DAVE
GUNNA
JAZMINE SULLIVAN
SHENSEEA
TIAKOLA
Best West African Artiste
Recognises the most outstanding artiste or group from West Africa in the year under review (non-Nigerian).
BLACK SHERIF ????
HIMRA ????
KIDI ????
KING PROMISE ????
MOLIY ????
WALLY B. SECK ????
STONEBWOY ????
Best Southern African Artist
CIZA ????
DJ MAPHORISA ????
JAZZWRLD ????
KABZA DE SMALL ????
TYLA ????
UNCLE WAFFLES ????
BEST CENTRAL AFRICAN ARTISTE
Recognises the most outstanding artiste or group from Central Africa in the year under review.
FALLY IPUPA (DR CONGO) FERRÉ GOLA (DR CONGO)
HÉRITIER WATANABE (DR CONGO)
HIRO (DR CONGO)
INNOSS’B (DR CONGO)
LOCKO (CAMEROON)
BEST NORTH AFRICAN ARTISTE
Recognises the most outstanding artiste or group from North Africa in Che year under review.
BALTI (TUNISIA)
DYSTINCT (MOROCCO)
MARWAN MOUSSA (EGYPT)
SOOLKING (ALGERIA)
TUL8TE (EGYPT)
BEST EAST AFRICAN ARTISTE
Recognises the most outstanding artiste or group from East Africa in Che year under review.
ABIGAIL CHAMS (TANZANIA)
BIEN (KENYA)
BRUCE MELODIE (RWANDA)
HARMONIZE (TANZANIA)
JOSHUA BARAKA (UGANDA)
HEADIES VIEWERS’ CHOICE
A fan-voted award recognising the year’s favourite artist based on public support and digital engagement.
AYRA STARR- ‘HOT BODY’
MAVO -‘ESCALADIZZY'(FT. WAVESTAR)
DAVIDO- ‘WITH YOU’ (FT. OMAH LAY)
REMA- ‘BABY (IS IT A CRIME)’
FOLA- ‘YOU’
WIZKID- ‘JOGODO’ (WITH ASAKE)
KUNMIE- ‘ARIKE’
Next Rated
An award that recognises the most promising emerging artiste poised for mainstream superstardom. Material can be two singles, an EP or an album.
FIDO
FOLA
LLONA
MAVO
SHODAY
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
A category that recognises the most outstanding new artist who achieved a breakthrough during the year under review and has not released a commercially distributed full-length album before the eligibility period.
AMMA
DANPAPA GTA
FIRSTKLAZ
KIDD CARDER
No11
PRIESST
OG ABBAH
SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR
This is a category that honours the songwriter responsible for the most exceptional writing on a song in the year under review.
ADEKUNLE KOSOKO (ADEKUNLE GOLD)- ‘MANY PEOPLE’
ANTHONY EBUKA VICTOR (VICTONY)- ‘COUGH SYRUP’ (WITH BNXN)
FUAYEFIKA MAXWELL (WIZARD CHAN)- ‘TIME TRAVELER’
ODUNLAMI AFOLARIN TEMILOLUWA (FOLA)- ‘WHO DOES THAT?’
OLUWABUKUNMI ARIYIBI PETER (KUNMIE)- ‘ARIKE’
PEACE CHIDINMA AMAEFULA (AMAEYA)- ‘HOW DO YOU?’
BEST PERFORMER (LIVE)
A non-voting category for the artist with the most outstanding live performance in front of an audience by singing, or playing a musical instrument. The live performance must have been recorded and officially released in video format – streaming, TV and/or physical media.
ADEKUNLE GOLD- ‘LIVE AT THE NATIONAL THEATRE LAGOS’ (WITH MUSON ORCHESTRA)
ASAKE- ‘RED BULL SYMPHONIC’
AYRA STARR -‘GLOBAL CITIZEN FESTIVAL NYC 2025’
JOHNNY DRILLE- ‘JOHNNY’S ROOM LIVE 6’
RUGER- ‘LIVE @ INDIGO AT THE 02, LONDON (2025)’
Best Inspirational Single Nominees
SJNMISOLA AGBEBI and YINKA OKELEYE – AMIOLUWA
FAVOUR – LAWRENCE OYOR
SINACH – IDINMA (YOUAREGOOD)
EMMA OMG – KO’RIN IYIN (I WILL PRAISE YOU)
GAISE BABA and LAWRENCE OYOR – NO TURNING BACK II
MERCY CHINWO – WE MOVE
BEST VOCAL PERFORMANCE (MALE)
Category that recognises the male artiste with the most outstanding vocal performance on an eligible recording.
ADEKUNLE GOLD – I’M NOT DONE
FLAVOUR – ORENTE
MAGIXX – SUMMER and WINTER
ODEAL – PATIENCE
SYEMCA – LOVE EGBUGOMO
TAY IWAR – BAD BELLE
BEST VOCAL PERFORMANCE (FEMALE)
Category that recognises the female artiste with the most outstanding vocal performance on an eligible recording.
LAYEFA- ‘6:35’
AMAEYA- ‘HOW DO YOU?’
SEWÀ- ‘LAGOS LOVIN’
QING MADI- ‘SCUMBAG’
LIYA- ‘SKIN TO SKIN’
TIWA SAVAGE- ‘YOU4ME’
BEST ORIGINAL SONG FOR VISUAL MEDIA
A non-voting category for a song written and composed originally for use in a motion picture or series.
‘ALL MY LOVE’- OSAS OKONYON and ABBEY WONDER FROM ‘EVI (ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK)
‘BEHIND THE SCENES’ (ORIGINAL FOR FAAN PICTURE SOUNDTRACK)- FUNKE AKINDELE, TOLU OBAN RO FROM ‘BEHIND THE SCENES.’
‘SAVE ME’- OSCAR HEMAN-ACKAH and 2BABA FROM ‘TO KILL A MONKEY (ORIGINAL TV SERIES SOUNDTRACK)’
‘ONLY IN LAGOS’- WURLD and LIYA FROM ‘CHRISTMAS IN LAGOS (ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK)’
BEST AFRICAN DIASPORA-CANADIAN ARTISTE
A voting award category for the best Canadian or Canada-affiliated artiste of African descent in the year under review.
DEBBY FRIDAY- ‘LIPSYNC’
TÖME- ‘CC’ (FT. ALPHA P)
BOLU AJIBADE- ‘DIANA’ (WITH FRIYIE)
NONSO AMADI – ‘DIVE IN’
ROOKY KAMIZ – ‘DEEPER’
TOBI – ‘OUT THE MUD’
The nominations highlight both established stars consolidating their influence and rising voices from the street-hop and alternative scenes. Voting and judging processes will determine the winners ahead of the Toronto ceremony later in 2026.