Full list of nominees for the 2026 Headies Awards

Here are the nominees across different categories for the highly anticipated 2026 Headies Awards ceremony scheduled to take place in Canada.

Album of the Year

• Catharsis — Fola
• Clarity of Mind — Omah Lay
• G.O.A.T — Erigga
• Morayo — Wizkid
• The Machine Is Coming — Odumodublvck
• This One Is Personal — Tiwa Savage
• No Sign of Weakness — Burna Boy

Best Rap Single

• 2:02PM in London — Odumodublvck
• ACL — Blaqbonez
• Man2Man — Dremo
• PDSTRN — Moshood
• Nkemakonam — Tuff King
• Wuse Tu — Zaylevelten, Mavo
• John Wick — Zhus Jdo

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
• Qing Madi — I Am the Blueprint
• 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?
• 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

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 R&B Single

• 6:35 — Layefa
• How Do You? — Amaeya
• I Love You — Amma
• What You Need — Tems
• Winter & Summer — Magixx
• You4Me — Tiwa Savage

Songwriter of the Year

• Adekunle Gold — Many People
• Victony — Cough Syrup (w/ BNXN)
• Wizard Chan — Time Traveler
• Fola — Who Does That?
• Kunmie — Arike
• Amaeya — How Do You?

Best Vocal Performance (Female)

• Layefa — 6:35
• Amaeya — How Do You?
• Sewa — Lagos Lovin
• Qing Madi — Scumbag
• Liya — Skin to Skin
• Tiwa Savage — You4Me

Best Inspirational Single

• Sunmisola Agbebi & Yinka Okeleye — Amioluwa
• Lawrence Oyor — Favour
• Sinach — Idinma (You Are Good)
• Emma OMG — Ko'rin Iyin (I Will Praise You)
• Gaise Baba & Lawrence Oyor — No Turning Back II
• Mercy Chinwo — We Move

Best Vocal Performance (Male)

• Adekunle Gold — I'm Not Done
• Flavour — Orente
• Magixx — Summer & Winter
• Odeal — Patience
• Syemca — Love Egbugomo
• Tay Iwar — Bad Belle

Producer of the Year

• Magicsticks — Jogodo
• P. Priime — MMS
• Ragee — Hot Body
• Sarz — Getting Paid
• Tempoe — With You

Best Collaboration

• CKay & Mavo — Body (Danz)
• Mavo & Wave$tar — Escaladizzy
• Poco Lee, Shoday & Rahman Jago — Hey Jago
• Odumodublvck & Victony — Pity This Boy
• Davido & Omah Lay — With You
• Mr Eazi & King Promise — See What We've Done
• Chief Priest & Spyki — Finally

Songwriter of the Year

• Adekunle Gold — Many People
• Victony — Cough Syrup (w/ BNXN)
• Wizard Chan — Time Traveler
• Fola — Who Does That?
• Kunmie — Arike
• Amaeya — How Do You?

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 Female Artist

• Ayra Starr
• Qing Madi
• Sewa
• Tems
• Teni
• Tiwa Savage

Lyricist on the Roll

• Blaqbonez — ACL
• Dremo — Man2Man
• Modenine — If You Like Gym (w/ Odumodublvck)
• PDSTRN — Moshood
• Ycee — Man2Man Remix (w/ Dremo)

Best Rap Album

• Tuff King — Black Sheepizen (The 13th Disciple)
• A-Q — GE3 (The Beginning)
• Erigga — G.O.A.T
• JeriQ — King
• Blaqbonez — No Excuses
• Odumodublvck — The Machine Is Coming

Best Street-Hop Artiste

• Famous Pluto — Na Scra
• Kashcoming — All My Money
• Poco Lee — Hey Jago (w/ Shoday & Rahman Jago)
• Seyi Vibez — Shaolin
• Shallipopi — Laho
• Tuff King — Nkemakonam
• Rybeena — Gaddem (w/ Shoday)

International Artiste of the Year

• Ciara
• Dave
• Gunna
• Jazmine Sullivan
• Shenseea
• Tiakola

Best Southern African Artist

• ​Ciza 🇿🇦
• ​DJ Maphorisa 🇿🇦
• ​Jazzwrld 🇱🇸
• ​Kabza De Small 🇿🇦
• ​Tyla 🇿🇦
• ​Uncle Waffles 🇸🇿

​Music Video of the Year

• ​Director Pink — 10 Kilo
• ​TG Omori — Afroculture
• ​DK — Bundle by Bundle
• ​Jyde Ajala — Wizard Chan
• ​Meji Alabi — Who's Dat Girl
• ​Dammy Twitch — With You

​Best Alternative Song

• ​Cyk Baddie — Luwa.mp4 & Jeleel!
• ​Sewa — Lagos Lovin
• ​Wizard Chan — Oliver
• ​Blnde — Omo To Sexy
• ​Wave$tar — Prada Baby
• ​Obongjayar — Sweet Danger
• ​Chief Priest, Boypee & Zoro Swagbag — Summer Adina

Best West African Artiste

• ​Black Sherif 🇬🇭
• ​Himra 🇨🇮
• ​KiDi 🇬🇭
• ​King Promise 🇬🇭
• ​Moliy 🇬🇭
• ​Wally B. Seck 🇸🇳
• ​Stonebwoy 🇬🇭