Organisers of The Headies Awards have unveiled the nominees for the 18th edition of the prestigious music awards, with Fola, Omah Lay, Wizkid and Mavo among the leading contenders.
The nominees for the 2026 edition, themed “Africa to the World,” were announced in an Instagram post on Tuesday.
Fola leads this year’s nominations with 10 nods, followed by Omah Lay with eight. Wizkid and Mavo each received seven nominations.
Among the female artistes, Tiwa Savage and Ayra Starr emerged as the most nominated, with five nominations each.
The 2026 nomination list spans established stars, rising artistes and talents from across Africa and the diaspora, reflecting the growing diversity and international reach of contemporary African music.
Here is the full list of nominees:
Song of the Year
- Rahman Jago
- With You — Davido & Omah Lay
- Hey Jago — Poco Lee, Shoday & Rahman Jago
- Joy Is Coming — Fido
- Hot Body — Ayra Starr
- Arike — Kunmie
- MMS — Asake & Wizkid
Afrobeats Single of the Year
- You — Fola
- Jogodo — Asake & Wizkid
- With You — Davido & Omah Lay
- Bundle by Bundle — Burna Boy
- Fun — Rema
- Laho — Shallipopi
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 at The O2, London (2025)
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 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 Alternative Album
- Afrika Magik — SDC
- Detox — Sewa
- Duplicity — BOJ
- Healers Chapel — Wizard Chan
- Olorin Pack — Scottyolorin
- Then 1t Got Crazy — Zaylevelten
Digital Artiste of the Year
- Asake
- Ayra Starr
- BNXN
- Chella
- Fola
- Mavo
- Seyi Vibez
- Wizkid
Next Rated
- Fido
- Fola
- Llona
- Mavo
- Shoday
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
Music Video of the Year
- Director Pink — 10 Kilo — Davido
- Dammy Twitch — With You — Davido
- TG Omori — Afroculture — Flavour ft. Baaba Maal
- Jyde Ajala — Wizard Chan
- DK — Bundle by Bundle — Burna Boy
Best Female Artiste
- Ayra Starr
- Qing Madi
- Sewa
- Tems
- Teni
- Tiwa Savage
Best Male Artiste
- Adekunle Gold
- Asake
- Fola
- Mavo
- Rema
- Wizkid
- Burna Boy
- Davido
Rookie of the Year
- Amma
- Danpapa Gta
- Firstklaz
- Kidd Carder
- No11
- Priesst
- OG Abbah
Best Inspirational Single
- Sunmisola Agbebi ft. Yinka Okeleye — Amioluwa
- Lawrence Oyor — Favour
- Sinach — Idinma (You Are Good)
- EmmaOMG — Korin Iyin (I Will Praise You)
- Gaise Baba ft. Lawrence Oyor — No Turning Back 2
- Mercy Chinwo — We Move
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 Vocal Performance (Female)
- Layefa — 6:35
- Amaeya — How Do You?
- Sewa — Lagos Lovin
- Qing Madi — Scum Bag
- Liya — Skin to Skin
- Tiwa Savage — You4Me
Hall of Fame
- Awilo Longomba
Best Street-Hop Artiste
- Famous Pluto — Na Scra
- Kashcoming — All My Money
- Poco Lee — Hey Jago ft. Shoday & Rahman Jago
- Seyi Vibez — Shaolin
- Shallipopi — Laho
- Tuff King — Nkemakonam
- Rybeena — Gaddem ft. Shoday
International Artiste of the Year
- Ciara
- Dave
- Gunna
- Jazmine Sullivan
- Shenseea
- Tiakola
Writer of the Year
- 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)
- Peace Chidinma Amaefula (Amaeya) — How Do You?
Best Headies 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 & King Promise — See What We’ve Done
- Chief Priest ft. Spyki — Finally
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
East African Artiste
- Abigail Chams (Tanzania)
- Bien (Kenya)
- Bruce Melodie (Rwanda)
- Harmonize (Tanzania)
- Joshua Baraka (Uganda)
West African Artiste
- Black Sherif (Ghana)
- Himra (Côte d’Ivoire)
- KiDi (Ghana)
- King Promise (Ghana)
- Moliy (Ghana)
- Wally B. Seck (Senegal)
- Stonebwoy (Ghana)
Best Alternative Song
- CYK Baddie — Luwa.mp4 ft. Jeleel!
- Sewa — Lagos Lovin
- Wizard Chan — Oliver
- Binde — Omo to Sexy
- Wavestar — Prada Baby
- Obongjayar — Sweet Danger
- Chief Priest ft. BoyPee & Zoro Swagbag — Summer Adina
North African Artiste
- Balti (Tunisia)
- Dystinct (Morocco)
- Marwan Moussa (Egypt)
- Soolking (Algeria)
- Tul8te (Egypt)
Central African Artiste
- Fally Ipupa (DR Congo)
- Ferré Gola (DR Congo)
- Héritier Watanabe (DR Congo)
- Hiro (DR Congo)
- Innoss’B (DR Congo)
- Locko (Cameroon)
Rap Single
- Odumodublvck — 2:02 PM in London
- Blaqbonez — ACi
- Dremo — Man2Man
- PDSTRN — Moshood
- Tuff King — Nkemakonam
- Zaylevelten & Mavo — Wuse Tu
- Zhus Jdo — John Wick
R&B Single
- Layefa — 6:35
- Amaeya — How Do You?
- Amma — I Love You
- Tems — What You Need
- Magixx — Winter & Summer
- Tiwa Savage — You4Me
Producer of the Year
- Magicsticks — Jogodo by Asake & Wizkid; Real, Vol. 1 by Asake & Wizkid
- P.Priime — MMS by Asake & Wizkid; Baby (Is It a Crime) by Rema; Billionaires Club by Olamide, Darkoo & Wizkid
- Ragee — Hot Body by Ayra Starr
- Sarz — Hot Body by Ayra Starr; Who’s Dat Girl by Ayra Starr ft. Rema
- Tempoe — With You by Davido ft. Omah Lay; SMH by Joeboy
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
Original Song for Visual Media
- Osas Okonyon & Abbey Wonder — All My Love, from Evi
- Funke Akindele & Tolu Obanro — Behind the Scenes, from Behind the Scenes
- Oscar Heman-Ackah & 2Baba — Save Me, from To Kill a Monkey
- WurlD & Liya — Only in Lagos, from Christmas in Lagos
Lyricist on the Roll
- Blaqbonez — ACi
- Dremo — Man2Man
- Modenine — If You Like Gym with Odumodublvck
- PDSTRN — Moshood
- Ycee — Man2Man (Ycee Remix) with Dremo
The 2026 nominees reflect the breadth of Nigeria’s contemporary music landscape, bringing together some of the country’s biggest stars and its most promising emerging artistes.
With Fola leading the overall nominations, Omah Lay, Wizkid, Mavo, Tiwa Savage and Ayra Starr are also among the major names to watch as the 18th edition of The Headies unfolds.
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