Fola, Omah Lay, Mavo, Wizkid lead 18th Headies nominations list

• Fola leads the 18th Headies with 11 nominations after enjoying a monumental 2025.

• Omah Lay secured 8 nominations largely thanks to 'With You', his hit collaboration with Davido

• Breakout sensation Mavo's rise to stardom is also captured with his 7 nominations for the award ceremony scheduled for November in Toronto, Canada.

The list features 213 nominations spread across 35 categories, celebrating the biggest names and breakout stars who defined African music in the period under review (August 1, 2024 – April 30, 2026).

FOLA leads the nominations list with 10 nods, including Album of the Year, Next Rated, Songwriter of the Year and Best Male Artiste, off the back of his acclaimed debut album CATHARSIS. Omah Lay follows with 8 nominations, while Mavo and Wizkid bagged 7 nods each. Asake and Davido round out the top tier with 6 nominations apiece.

Ayra Starr and Tiwa Savage are the most nominated female stars with 5 nominations apiece. Breakout artiste Kunmie has also earned 5 nominations, including Song of the Year for his standout single, 'Arike.' Adekunle Gold, Odumodublvck, and Shoday round out the 5-nomination tier.

Davido and Omah Lay's 'With You' is the most-nominated song, appearing in six categories: Recording of the Year, Music Video, Best Collaboration, Afrobeats Single, Viewers' Choice, and Song of the Year.

The Next Rated category delivers a stacked field of rising stars - Fido, FOLA, Llona, Mavo, Shoday, and Zaylevelten - while Rookie of the Year spotlights fresh breakout talent in Amma, Danpapa GTA, FirstKlaz, Kidd Carder, NO11, Priesst and OG Abbah.

Album of the Year brings together 7 of the year's most celebrated projects: CATHARSIS (Fola), CLARITY OF MIND (Omah Lay), G.O.A.T (Erigga), MORAYO (Wizkid), NO SIGN OF WEAKNESS (Burna Boy), THE MACHINE IS COMING (Odumodublvck), and THIS ONE IS PERSONAL (Tiwa Savage).

This year's ceremony will have artists in the Alternative genre shining as they have earned nominations in the general categories, while the Headies' regional awards are extended across 16 African countries, alongside categories for International Artiste of the Year and Best Canadian/African Diaspora Artiste, underscoring the Headies' continued push as a truly continental and global award.

Legendary Congolese artiste Awilo Longomba will receive the iconic HEADIES HALL OF FAME AWARD, while Cecil Hammond will be honoured with the SPECIAL RECOGNITION AWARD for his lasting contributions to African entertainment.

The 18th Headies Awards are themed “Africa to the World” and will take place on October 25, 2026, in Toronto, Canada.

Album of the Year
FOLA - Carthasis
Tiwa Savage - This One Is Personal
Wizkid - Morayo
Burna Boy - No Sign of Weakness
Omah Lay - Clarity of Mind
Erigga - G.O.A.T
Odumodublvck - The Machine Is Coming

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

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
How Do You? — Amaeya
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 Artist of the Year
Asake
Ayra Starr
BNXN
Chella
Fola
Mavo
Seyi Vibez
Wizkid

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 Artist
Ayra Starr
Qing Madi
Sewa
Tems
Teni
Tiwa Savage

Best Male Artist
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
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 (Female)
Layefa — 6:35
Amaeya — How Do You?
Sewa — Lagos Lovin
Qing Madi — Scum Bag
Liya — Skin to Skin
Tiwa Savage — You4Me

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

Hall of Fame
Awilo Longomba

Best Street-Hop Artist
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

International Artist of the Year
Ciara
Dave
Gunna
Jazmine Sullivan
Shenseea
Tiakola

Songwriter 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 Artist
Abigail Chams (Tanzania)
Bien (Kenya)
Bruce Melodie (Rwanda)
Harmonize (Tanzania)
Joshua Baraka (Uganda)

West African Artist
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 Artist
Balti (Tunisia)
Dystinct (Morocco)
Marwan Moussa (Egypt)
Soolking (Algeria)
Tul8te (Egypt)

Central African Artist
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