Awards
Full List: Wizkid, Davido and Burna Boy Lead 2026 Headies Nominations
Wizkid, Davido and Burna Boy are among the major names nominated for the 18th Headies Awards, with their songs and albums appearing across several of the ceremony’s biggest categories.
The 2026 nominees were unveiled on Tuesday, August 25. The awards considered music released between August 1, 2024 and April 30, 2026, covering categories including Song of the Year, Afrobeats Single of the Year, Album of the Year, Best Male and Female Artiste, Best Vocal Performance, regional African awards and Next Rated.
Fola leads the nomination table with 10 nods, followed by Omah Lay with eight. Mavo and Wizkid each received seven nominations, while Davido and Asake have six each. Ayra Starr and Tiwa Savage are the most nominated female artistes, with 5 nominations.
Wizkid earned nominations for Song of the Year and Afrobeats Single of the Year for “MMS” and “Jogodo”, both collaborations with Asake. His album “Morayo” is nominated for Afrobeats Album of the Year, while he also competes for Best Male Artiste, Digital Artiste of the Year, Headies Viewers’ Choice and Best Performer (Live).
Davido’s “With You” with Omah Lay appears in six major categories, including Song of the Year, Afrobeats Single of the Year, Best Recording of the Year, Best Headies Collaboration, Headies Viewers’ Choice and Music Video of the Year. Burna Boy’s “Bundle by Bundle” is nominated for Afrobeats Single of the Year and Music Video of the Year, while “No Sign of Weakness” competes for Afrobeats Album of the Year and Album of the Year. Burna Boy is also nominated for Best Male Artiste.
Full List of 2026 Headies Nominees
Song of the Year
Photo: Instagram/@folapondis
Kunmie – “Arike”
Poco Lee, Shoday & Rahman Jago – “Hey Jago”
Ayra Starr – “Hot Body”
Fido – “Joy Is Coming”
Asake & Wizkid – “MMS”
Davido & Omah Lay – “With You”.
Afrobeats Single of the Year
Rema – “Fun”
Asake & Wizkid – “Jogodo”
Shallipopi – “Laho”
Davido & Omah Lay – “With You”
Fola – “You”
Burna Boy – “Bundle by Bundle”.
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
Kunmie – Before We Became Strangers
Fola – Catharsis
Qing Madi – I Am the Blueprint
Tems – Love Is a Kingdom
Tay Iwar – Reflection Station
Tiwa Savage – This One Is Personal.
Best Recording of the Year
Kunmie – “Arike”
Amaeya – “How Do You?”
Rema – “Baby (Is It a Crime)”
Omah Lay & Elmah – “Coping Mechanism”
Davido & Omah Lay – “With You”
Fola – “You”.
Best Alternative Album
Show Dem Camp – Afrika Magik
Sewa – Detox
BOJ – Duplicity
Wizard Chan – Healers Chapel
Scottyolorin – Olorin Pack
Zaylevelten – Then 1t Got Crazy.
Digital Artiste of the Year
Asake
Ayra Starr
BNXN
Chella
Fola
Mavo
Seyi Vibez
Wizkid.
Next Rated
Fido
Fola
Llona
Mavo
Shoday
Zaylevelten.
Afrobeats Album of the Year
Davido – 5ive
BNXN – Captain
Omah Lay – Clarity of Mind
Adekunle Gold – Fuji
Wizkid – Morayo
Burna Boy – No Sign of Weakness.
Music Video of the Year
Director Pink – “10 Kilo” by Davido
Dammy Twitch – “With You” by Davido & Omah Lay
TG Omori – “Afroculture” by Flavour ft. Baaba Maal
Jyde Ajala – “Wizard Chan”
DK – “Bundle by Bundle” by Burna Boy.
Best Female Artiste
Photo: Instagram/@temsbaby
Ayra Starr
Qing Madi
Sewa
Tems
Teni
Tiwa Savage.
Best Male Artiste
Adekunle Gold
Asake
Fola
Mavo
Rema
Wizkid
Burna Boy.
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”.
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”
Olamide ft. Seyi Vibez & Asake — “99”.
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).
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
Luwa.mp4 ft. Jeleel! — “CYK Baddie”
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” and Real, Vol. 1 by Asake & Wizkid
P.Priime — “MMS” by Asake & Wizkid, “Baby (Is It a Crime)” by Rema and “Billionaires Club” by Olamide, Darkoo & Wizkid
Ragee — “Hot Body” by Ayra Starr
Sarz — “Hot Body” by Ayra Starr and “Who’s Dat Girl” by Ayra Starr ft. Rema
Tempoe — “With You” by Davido ft. Omah Lay and “SMH” by Joeboy.
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.
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.
Best Rap Album
Black Sheepizen — Tuff King
AQ — GE3
Erigga — G.O.A.T
Jeriq — King
Blaqbonez — No Excuses
Odumodublvck — The Machine Is Coming.
Album of the Year
Fola — Catharsis
Omah Lay — Clarity of Mind
Erigga — G.O.A.T
Wizkid — Morayo
Odumodublvck — The Machine Is Coming
Tiwa Savage — This One Is Personal
Burna Boy — No Sign of Weakness.
Special Honours
Headies Hall of Fame – Awilo Longomba.
Special Recognition Award – Cecil Hammond.
The 18th Headies nominations bring together Nigeria’s established stars, newer acts and artistes from across Africa and the diaspora. Fola’s 10 nominations make him the most nominated artiste this year, with Omah Lay, Mavo and Wizkid following closely behind.
The ceremony is themed “Africa to the World” and is scheduled to hold in Toronto, Canada. The awards will take place on October 23, 2026.
With nominations spread across the major categories and several regional and genre-specific awards, the 18th edition will feature competition between some of the biggest names in Nigerian music and a new generation of artistes making their mark.