The organisers of the Headies Awards have unveiled the nominees for the 18th edition of the prestigious Nigerian music awards, with Davido, Wizkid and Burna Boy emerging among the biggest names on the list.
The 2026 Headies Awards ceremony is scheduled to take place in Canada, with artistes competing across a wide range of voting and non-voting categories.
Davido, Wizkid and Burna Boy received multiple nominations in major categories, including Afrobeats Album of the Year, Best Male Artiste, Song of the Year, Afrobeats Single of the Year, Best Headies Collaboration and other categories.
Davido and Omah Lay’s hit collaboration, “With You,” earned nominations in several categories, including Song of the Year, Afrobeats Single of the Year, Best Recording of the Year, Best Headies Collaboration and Viewers’ Choice.
Wizkid also secured multiple nominations. His collaborations with Asake, including “MMS” and “Jogodo,” are nominated in major categories. His album Morayo is also in contention for Afrobeats Album of the Year, while the singer received nominations for Digital Artiste of the Year, Best Male Artiste and Viewers’ Choice.
Burna Boy’s “Bundle by Bundle” earned an Afrobeats Single of the Year nomination, while his album No Sign of Weakness is nominated for Afrobeats Album of the Year. The Grammy-winning artiste is also nominated for Best Male Artiste, while the song’s music video is in contention for Music Video of the Year.
Full List of 2026 Headies Awards 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 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
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
Music Video of the Year
- 10 Kilo — Davido, directed by Director Pink
- With You — Davido, directed by Dammy Twitch
- Afroculture — Flavour ft Baaba Maal, directed by TG Omori
- Wizard Chan — directed by Jyde Ajala
- Bundle by Bundle — Burna Boy, directed by DK
Best Female Artiste
- Ayra Starr
- Qing Madi
- Sewa
- Tems
- Teni
- Tiwa Savage
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
Best Male Artiste
- Adekunle Gold
- Asake
- Fola
- Mavo
- Rema
- Wizkid
- Burna Boy
Best Inspirational Single
- Amioluwa — Sunmisola Agbebi ft Yinka Okeleye
- Favour — Lawrence Oyor
- Idinma (You Are Good) — Sinach
- Korin Iyin (I Will Praise You) — 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
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
Rookie of the Year
- Amma
- Danpapa Gta
- Firstklaz
- Kidd Carder
- No11
- Priesst
- OG Abbah
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
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