The organisers of the 18th Headies Awards have unveiled the full list of nominees for the 2026 edition, setting the stage for a ceremony that will hold in Canada on October 23, 2026.
Rising star FOLA leads all nominees this year with an impressive 10 nominations, narrowly edging out Davido and Wizkid, who both trail closely with 8 nominations apiece. Omah Lay and Mavo also had standout years, pulling in 7 nominations each, while Asake rounds out the top tier with 6.
The eligibility period for this year’s awards covers releases between August 1, 2024 and April 30, 2026, and the resulting ballot spans Afrobeats, R&B, alternative, rap, street-hop, and inspirational music, alongside regional African categories and an international artiste list.
Artists With the Most Nominations
- FOLA — 10 nominations: Next Rated, Best Male Artiste, Album of the Year (Catharsis), Digital Artiste of the Year, Best Recording of the Year (“You”), Songwriter of the Year (“Who Does That?”), Best R&B Album (Catharsis), Best Collaboration (“Lost” ft Kizz Daniel), Afrobeats Single of the Year (“You”), and Headies Viewers’ Choice (“You”).
- Davido — 8 nominations: Song of the Year, Afrobeats Album of the Year (5ive), Best Recording of the Year, two separate Music Video of the Year nods (“10 Kilo” and “With You”), Best Collaboration, Afrobeats Single of the Year, and Headies Viewers’ Choice — with his Omah Lay collaboration “With You” doing much of the heavy lifting.
- Wizkid — 8 nominations: Best Male Artiste, Afrobeats Album of the Year (Morayo), Album of the Year (Morayo), Digital Artiste of the Year, Song of the Year (“MMS” with Asake), Music Video of the Year (“Kai!” with Olamide), Afrobeats Single of the Year (“Jogodo” with Asake), and Headies Viewers’ Choice (“Jogodo”).
- Omah Lay — 7 nominations: Afrobeats Album of the Year and Album of the Year (both for Clarity of Mind), plus Best Recording of the Year, Best Collaboration, Afrobeats Single of the Year, Headies Viewers’ Choice, and Song of the Year — all for “With You” alongside Davido.
- Mavo — 7 nominations: Next Rated, Best Male Artiste, Digital Artiste of the Year, Best Rap Single (“Wuse Tu”), two Best Collaboration nods (“Body (Danz)” with CKay and “Escaladizzy” with Wavestar), and Headies Viewers’ Choice (“Escaladizzy”).
- Asake — 6 nominations: Best Male Artiste, Best Performer (Live), Digital Artiste of the Year, Song of the Year (“MMS”), Afrobeats Single of the Year (“Jogodo”), and Headies Viewers’ Choice (“Jogodo”) — both alongside Wizkid.
Close behind, Burna Boy, Ayra Starr, Tiwa Savage, Adekunle Gold, and Kunmie each picked up 5 nominations spread across major and genre-specific categories, keeping the race for the night’s top honours wide open.
Next Rated
- Fido
- FOLA
- Llona
- Mavo
- Shoday
Song of the Year
- Arike — Kunmie
- Hey Jago — Poco Lee, Shoday & Rahman Jago
- Hot Body — Ayra Starr
- Joy Is Coming — Fido
- MMS — Asake & Wizkid
- With You — Davido & Omah Lay
Best Female Artiste
Best Male Artiste
- Adekunle Gold
- Asake
- FOLA
- Mavo
- Rema
- Wizkid
- Burna Boy
Afrobeats Album of the Year
- 5ive — Davido
- Captain — BNXN
- Clarity of Mind — Omah Lay
- Fuji — Adekunle Gold
- Morayo — Wizkid
- No Sign of Weakness — Burna Boy
Album of the Year
- Morayo — Wizkid
- Clarity of Mind — Omah Lay
- Catharsis — FOLA
- This One Is Personal — Tiwa Savage
- G.O.A.T — Erigga
- No Sign of Weakness — Burna Boy
- The Machine Is Coming — Odumodublvck
Best Performer (Live)
- Adekunle Gold — Live at the National Theatre, Lagos
- Asake — Red Bull Symphonic
- Ayra Starr — Global Citizen Festival 2025
- Johnny Drille — Johnny’s Room Live 6
- Ruger — Live at Indigo @ The O2, London (2025)
Digital Artiste of the Year
- Asake
- Ayra Starr
- BNXN
- Chella
- FOLA
- Mavo
- Seyi Vibez
- Wizkid
Best Rap Album
- G.O.A.T — Erigga
- No Excuses — Blaqbonez
- King — Jeriq
- GE3 (The Beginning) — A-Q
- The Machine Is Coming — Odumodublvck
- Black Sheepizen — Tuff King
Rookie of the Year
- Danpapa GTA
- Firstklaz
- Amma
- No11
- Kidd Carder
- Priesst
- OG Abbah
Best Recording of the Year
- Arike — Kunmie
- How Do You? — Amaeya
- Baby (Is It a Crime) — Rema
- Coping Mechanism — Omah Lay & Elmah
- With You — Davido & Omah Lay
- You — FOLA
Best Original Song for Visual Media
- All My Love — Osas Okonyon & Abbey Wonder, from Evi
- Behind the Scenes — Funke Akindele & Tolu Obanro, from Behind the Scenes
- Save Me — Oscar Heman-Ackah & 2Baba, from To Kill a Monkey
- Only in Lagos — WurlD & Liya, from Christmas in Lagos
Songwriter of the Year
- Adekunle Gold — Many People
- Victony — Cough Syrup with BNXN
- Wizard Chan — Time Traveller
- FOLA — Who Does That?
- Kunmie — Arike
- Amaeya — How Do You?
Best R&B Single
- 6:35 — Layefa
- How Do You? — Amaeya
- I Love You — Amma
- What You Need — Tems
- Winter & Summer — Magixx
- You4Me — Tiwa Savage
Best Rap Single
- 2:02 PM in London — Odumodublvck
- ACL — Blaqbonez
- Man2Man — Dremo
- Moshood — PDSTRN
- Nkemakonam — Tuff King
- Wuse Tu — Zaylevelten, Mavo
- John Wick — Zhus Jdo
Best Alternative Song
- CYK Baddie — Luwa.mp4 ft Jeleel!
- Lagos Lovin — Sewa
- Oliver — Wizard Chan
- Omo to Sexy — BLNDE
- Prada Baby — Wavestar
- Sweet Danger — Obongjayar
- Summer Adina — Chief Priest ft BoyPee & Zoro Swagbag
Best Vocal Performance (Female)
- Layefa — 6:35
- Amaeya — How Do You?
- Sewa — Lagos Lovin
- Qing Madi — Scum Bag
- Liya — Skin to Skin
- Tiwa Savage — You4Me
Best Vocal Performance (Male)
- Adekunle Gold — I’m Not Done
- Flavour — Orente
- Magixx — Winter and Summer
- Odeal — Patience
- Syemca — Love Egbugomo
- Tay Iwar — Bad Belle
Best R&B Album
- 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 Alternative Album
- Afrika Magik — SDC
- Detox — Sewa
- Duplicity — BOJ
- Healers Chapel — Wizard Chan
- Olorin Pack — Scottyolorin
- Then 1t Got Crazy — Zaylevelten
Producer of the Year
- Magicsticks
- P.Priime
- Ragee
- Sarz
- Tempoe
Music Video of the Year
- Director Pink, for “10 Kilo” by Davido
- Dammy Twitch, for “With You” by Davido
- TG Omori, for “Afroculture” by Flavour ft Baaba Maal
- Jyde Ajala, for Olamide and Wizkid’s “Kai!”
- DK, for “Bundle by Bundle” by Burna Boy
Best Collaboration
- CKay ft Mavo — Body (Danz)
- Mavo ft Wavestar — Escaladizzy
- Poco Lee, Shoday & Rahman Jago — Hey Jago
- FOLA ft Kizz Daniel — Lost
- Odumodublvck ft Victony — Pity This Boy
- Davido ft Omah Lay — With You
- Mr Eazi and King Promise — See What We’ve Done
- Chief Priest ft Spyki — Finally
Best Street-Hop Artiste
- Famous Pluto — Na Scra
- Kashcoming — All My Money
- Poco Lee — Hey Jago ft Shoday and Rahman Jago
- Seyi Vibez — Shaolin
- Shallipopi — Laho
- Tuff King — Nkemakonam
- Rybeena — Gaddem ft Shoday
Afrobeats Single of the Year
- Fun — Rema
- Jogodo — Asake & Wizkid
- Laho — Shallipopi
- With You — Davido & Omah Lay
- You — FOLA
- Bundle by Bundle — Burna Boy
Lyricist on the Roll
- Blaqbonez — ACL
- Dremo — Man2Man
- Modenine — If You Like Gym with Odumodublvck
- PDSTRN — Moshood
- Ycee — Man2Man (Ycee Remix) with Dremo
Best Inspirational Single
- Amioluwa — Sunmisola Agbebi ft Yinka Okeleye
- Favour — Lawrence Oyor
- Idinma (You Are Good) — Sinach
- Korin Iyin (I Will Praise You) — EmmaOMG
- No Turning Back 2 — Gaise Baba ft Lawrence Oyor
- We Move — Mercy Chinwo
Headies Viewers’ Choice
- Ayra Starr — Hot Body
- Davido — With You ft Omah Lay
- Rema — Baby (Is It a Crime)
- FOLA — You
- Wizkid — Jogodo with Asake
- Kunmie — Arike
- Mavo — Escaladizzy ft Wavestar
Best West African Artiste (Non-Nigerian)
- Black Sherif (Ghana)
- Himra (Côte d’Ivoire)
- KiDi (Ghana)
- King Promise (Ghana)
- Moliy (Ghana)
- Wally B. Seck (Senegal)
- Stonebwoy (Ghana)
Best East African Artiste
- Abigail Chams (Tanzania)
- Bien (Kenya)
- Bruce Melodie (Rwanda)
- Harmonize (Tanzania)
- Joshua Baraka (Uganda)
Best North African Artiste
- Balti (Tunisia)
- Dystinct (Morocco)
- Marwan Moussa (Egypt)
- Soolking (Algeria)
- Tul8te (Egypt)
Best Central African Artiste
- Fally Ipupa (DR Congo)
- Ferré Gola (DR Congo)
- Héritier Watanabe (DR Congo)
- Hiro (DR Congo)
- Innoss’B (DR Congo)
- Locko (Cameroon)
Best African Diaspora-Canadian Artiste
- Debby Friday — Lipsync
- Tôme — CC ft Alpha P
- Bolu Ajibade — Diana with Friyie
- Nonso Amadi — Dive In
- Rooky Kamiz — Deeper
- Tobi — Out the Mud
International Artiste of the Year
- Ciara
- Dave
- Gunna
- Jazmine Sullivan
- Shenseea
The 18th Headies Awards ceremony holds on October 23, 2026 in Toronto, Canada, continuing the show’s run of staging its main event outside Nigeria.
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