The race for the 2026 Headies Awards is officially on—and Nigeria’s biggest music stars are once again at the centre of the battle.
Wizkid, Davido, Burna Boy, Rema, Asake, Ayra Starr and Tems are among the prominent names appearing across major categories as the organisers unveil this year’s nominees.
The nominations cover Afrobeats, R&B, hip-hop, alternative music, inspirational music and international acts, reflecting the expanding reach of Nigerian and African music.
The 2026 ceremony is scheduled to take place in Canada, continuing The Headies’ push beyond Nigeria and into the global music market.
Major contenders
Some of the headline nominees include:
- Poco Lee, Shoday & Rahman Jago — “Hey Jago”
- Ayra Starr — “Hot Body”
- Fido — “Joy Is Coming”
- Asake & Wizkid — “MMS”
- Davido & Omah Lay — “With You”
Afrobeats Single of the Year
- Rema — “Fun”
- Asake & Wizkid — “Jogodo”
- Shallipopi — “Laho”
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
- Kunmie — Before We Became Strangers
- Fola — Catharsis
- Qing Madi — I Am the Blueprint
- Tems — Love Is a Kingdom
- Tay Iwar — Reflection Station
- Tiwa Savage — This One Is Personal
Best Recording of the Year
- Kunmie — “Arike”
- How Do You? — “Amaeya”
- Rema — “Baby (Is It a Crime)”
- Omah Lay & Elmah — “Coping Mechanism”
- Davido & Omah Lay — “With You”
- Fola — “You”
Best Alternative Album
- SDC — Afrika Magik
- Sewa — Detox
- BOJ — Duplicity
- Wizard Chan — Healers Chapel
- Scottyolorin — Olorin Pack
- Zaylevelten — Then 1t Got Crazy
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” by Davido
- Dammy Twitch — “With You” by Davido
- TG Omori — “Afroculture” by Flavour ft. Baaba Maal
- Jyde Ajala — “Wizard Chan”
- DK — “Bundle by Bundle” by 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 Regional Categories
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
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
Best Alternative Song
- Luwa.mp4 ft. Jeleel! — “CYK Baddie”
- Sewa — “Lagos Lovin”
- Wizard Chan — “Oliver”
- Binde — “Omo to Sexy”
- Wavestar — “Prada Baby”
- Obongjayar — “Sweet Danger”
- Chief Priest ft. BoyPee & Zoro Swagbag — “Summer Adina”
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” 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; “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
A global stage for African music
The 2026 nominations underline just how broad the contemporary African music landscape has become.
Established heavyweights such as Wizkid, Davido, Burna Boy, Tems, Rema, Asake and Ayra Starr share the spotlight with a growing generation of emerging performers.
With regional African categories, international nominees and a Canadian ceremony, the Headies is also positioning itself as more than a Nigerian awards show.
The big question now: which artists will turn nominations into trophies when the winners are announced?
