The organisers of the 2026 Headies Awards on Tuesday presented the nominees competing across major categories ahead of the highly anticipated ceremony.
The awards ceremony is scheduled to take place in Canada, with some of Nigeria’s biggest music stars featuring prominently among the 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
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.
