The 18th Headies Awards is set to take
place in Canada on October 23, 2026, with the organisers
unveiling the nominees for this year’s ceremony.
As expected, some of Nigeria’s biggest music stars,
established acts, and emerging talents have earned recognition across the
various categories. Several artists also picked up multiple nominations for
their outstanding work and contributions to the Nigerian music scene over the
past year.
The 2026 edition promises another celebration of the
country’s finest musical talents, with nominees competing across a wide range
of categories.
See the full list of nominees for the 2026 Headies Awards below:
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
·
Ayra Starr
·
Qing Madi
·
Sewa
·
Tems
·
Teni
·
Tiwa Savage
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
·
GOAT – 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
Read more on the 2026
Headies Awards here.