FOLA leads 2026 Headies Awards nominations: Full List of nominees

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 R&B 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 & RAHMAN JAGO

“HOT BODY”- AYRA STARR

“JOY IS COMING” – FIDO

“MMS” – ASAKE & 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 & 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 & 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 & JELEEL!
 LAGOS LOVIN — SEWA
 OLIVER — WIZARD CHAN
 OMO TO SEXY — BLNDE
 PRADA BABY — WAVE$TAR
 SWEET DANGER — OBONGJAYAR
 SUMMER ADINA — CHIEF PRIEST, BOYPEE & 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 & MAVO — BODY (DANZ)
 MAVO & WAVE$TAR — ESCALADIZZY
 POCO LEE, SHODAY & RAHMAN JAGO — HEY JAGO
 ODUMODUBLVCK & VICTONY — PITY THIS BOY
 DAVIDO & OMAH LAY — WITH YOU
 MR EAZI & KING PROMISE — SEE WHAT WE’VE DONE
 CHIEF PRIEST & SPYKI — FINALLY

Best R&B Album

Recognises the best R&B 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 R&B SINGLE

Recognises the best R&B 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 & 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 & WIZKID AND “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 AND “WHO’S DAT GIRL” BY AYRA STARR FT. REMA

SARZ— “GETTING PAID” BY SARZ ASAKE, WIZKID & 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 & YINKA OKELEYE — AMIOLUWA

FAVOUR — LAWRENCE OYOR

SINACH — IDINMA (YOUAREGOOD)

EMMA OMG — KO’RIN IYIN (I WILL PRAISE YOU)

GAISE BABA & 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 & 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 & 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 & 2BABA FROM “TO KILL A MONKEY (ORIGINAL TV SERIES SOUNDTRACK)”

“ONLY IN LAGOS”— WURLD & 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.