The organisers of The Headies have released the full list of nominees for the 18th edition of Nigeria’s premier music awards, with leading artistes including Davido, Wizkid, Burna Boy, Ayra Starr, Adekunle Gold, Odumodublvck and Rema securing nominations.

Socialite and entertainment executive Cubana Chief Priest also received a nomination, while several emerging artistes earned recognition across major categories.

The organisers published the nominations on Tuesday ahead of the awards ceremony scheduled to hold in Toronto, Canada, on October 25, 2026.

Major artistes dominate nominations

Davido, Wizkid and Burna Boy are among the artistes competing in some of the biggest categories, including Afrobeats Album of the Year, Best Male Artiste, Song of the Year, Afrobeats Single of the Year, Best Collaboration and Producer of the Year.

Davido and Omah Lay’s “With You” earned a Song of the Year nomination alongside Ayra Starr’s “Hot Body”, Fido’s “Joy Is Coming”, Asake and Wizkid’s “MMS” and other contenders.

The three superstars also feature in several other categories, reflecting their continued influence on Nigeria’s music industry.

Emerging artistes receive strong recognition

The Next Rated category features emerging artistes Fido, Fola, Llona, Mavo and Shoday.

Fola is among the most nominated artistes at this year’s ceremony, earning recognition in categories including Afrobeats Single of the Year, Best R&B Album, Best Recording of the Year, Digital Artiste of the Year, Best Male Artiste, Best Headies Collaboration and Songwriter of the Year.

His nominations further highlight the growing profile of emerging Nigerian artistes in the country’s competitive music industry.

Top categories revealed

The nominees for Afrobeats Album of the Year are Davido’s “5ive”, BNXN’s “Captain”, Omah Lay’s “Clarity of Mind”, Adekunle Gold’s “Fuji”, Wizkid’s “Morayo” and Burna Boy’s “No Sign of Weakness”.

The Best Female Artiste category features Ayra Starr, Qing Madi, Sewa, Tems, Teni and Tiwa Savage.

The Best Male Artiste category includes Adekunle Gold, Asake, Fola, Mavo, Rema, Wizkid and Burna Boy.

In the Digital Artiste of the Year category, Asake, Ayra Starr, BNXN, Chella, Fola, Mavo, Seyi Vibez and Wizkid are nominated.

International and African artistes nominated

The awards also recognise artistes from across Africa and beyond.

The International Artiste of the Year category includes Ciara, Dave, Gunna, Jazmine Sullivan, Shenseea and Tiakola.

The West African Artiste category features Black Sherif, Himra, KiDi, King Promise, Moliy, Wally B. Seck and Stonebwoy.

The East African Artiste category includes Tanzania’s Abigail Chams, Kenya’s Bien, Rwanda’s Bruce Melodie, Tanzania’s Harmonize and Uganda’s Joshua Baraka.

The Central African Artiste category features Fally Ipupa, Ferré Gola, Héritier Watanabe, Hiro and Innoss’B from the Democratic Republic of Congo, alongside Cameroon’s Locko.

Awilo Longomba to receive Hall of Fame honour

Congolese music star Awilo Longomba will receive the Hall of Fame honour at the 2026 Headies.

Entertainment executive Cecil Hammond will also be presented with a Special Recognition Award for his contribution to the Nigerian entertainment industry.

The honours are expected to form part of the major highlights of the awards ceremony in Toronto.

History of The Headies

The Headies first held an edition outside Nigeria in 2022 when the 15th edition took place in Atlanta, United States.

The organisers returned to Atlanta for the 16th edition in 2023 before bringing the ceremony back to Lagos for the 17th edition in 2025 under the theme “Back to Base”.

The 18th edition will now take the awards to Toronto, Canada, where the winners across the various categories will be announced.

FULL LIST OF NOMINEES

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

Afrobeats Single of the Year

Fun — Rema

Jogodo — Asake & Wizkid

Laho — Shallipopi

With You — Davido & Omah Lay

You — Fola

Bundle by Bundle — Burna Boy

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

Rookie of the Year

Amma

Danpapa Gta

Firstklaz

Kidd Carder

No11

Priesst

OG Abbah

Best Inspirational Single

Amioluwa — Sunmisola Agbebi ft Yinka Okeleye

Favour — Lawrence Oyor

Idinma (You Are Good) — Sinach

Korin Iyin (I Will Praise) — EmmaOMG

No Turning Back 2 — Gaise Baba ft Lawrence Oyor

We Move — Mercy Chinwo

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

Special Recognition Award

Cecil Hammond

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

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 and 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!

Lagos Lovin — Sewa

Oliver — Wizard Chan

Omo to Sexy — Binde

Prada Baby — Wavestar

Sweet Danger — Obongjayar

Summer Adina — Chief Priest ft BoyPee & Zoro Swagbag

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

2:02 PM in London — Odumodublvck

ACi — Blaqbonez

Man2Man — Dremo

Moshood — PDSTRN

Nkemakonam — Tuff King

Wuse Tu — Zaylevelten, Mavo

John Wick — Zhus Jdo

R&B Single

6:35 — Layefa

How Do You? — Amaeya

I Love You — Amma

What You Need — Tems

Winter & Summer — Magixx

You4Me — Tiwa Savage

Producer of the Year

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

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

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

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

Lyricist on the Roll

Blaqbonez — ACi

Dremo — Man2Man

Modenine — If You Like Gym with Odumodublvck

PDSTRN — Moshood

Ycee — Man2Man (Ycee Remix) with Dremo