The nominees for the Headies Awards 2026 were announced on Tuesday, ahead of the highly anticipated presentation.
The awards ceremony is set to take place in Canada, and some of Nigeria’s top music performers are among the candidates.
Below is the complete list of the Headies Awards 2026:
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
Afrobeats Single of the Year
- Fun — Rema
- Jogodo — Asake & Wizkid
- Laho — Shallipop
- 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)
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
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
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
- 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
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
International Artiste of the Year
- Ciara
- Dave
- Gunna
- Jazmine Sullivan
- Shenseea
- Tiakola
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
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)
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?
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
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
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 nominations represent the diverse styles and performers that shape Nigeria’s contemporary music scene, with both established stars and developing acts competing in multiple categories.
