Headies 2026: Full list of nominees released

Organisers of the 2026 Headies Awards have announced the nominees for the major categories ahead of this year’s much-anticipated ceremony.

The nominees were unveiled on Tuesday, with several of Nigeria’s leading music artistes earning recognition across different categories.

The 2026 edition of the prestigious awards is scheduled to hold in Canada, bringing together prominent names in the Nigerian music industry and other stakeholders for the ceremony.

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

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S//AFRICA: A bond that must never be broken (4)

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

Amaeya — How Do You?

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

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 — 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

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 nominees reflect the wide range of sounds and artists shaping Nigeria’s contemporary music scene, with established stars and emerging acts competing across several categories.