Nigerian music heavyweights Davido, Wizkid and Burna Boy have earned multiple nominations at the 18th Headies Awards, following the announcement of nominees for the 2026 ceremony on Tuesday.
The awards ceremony is set to take place in Canada.
Davido, Wizkid and Burna Boy are competing in several major categories, including Afrobeats Album of the Year, Best Male Artiste, Song of the Year, Afrobeats Single of the Year, Best Collaboration and other categories.
Davido and Omah Lay’s With You earned nominations for Song of the Year, Afrobeats Single of the Year, Best Recording of the Year, Best Headies Collaboration and Viewers’ Choice.
Wizkid is nominated for Song of the Year and Afrobeats Single of the Year alongside Asake for MMS and Jogodo, respectively. His album Morayo is also in contention for Afrobeats Album of the Year, while he received nominations for Digital Artiste of the Year, Best Male Artiste and Viewers’ Choice.
Burna Boy’s Bundle by Bundle is nominated for Afrobeats Single of the Year, while his album No Sign of Weakness competes for Afrobeats Album of the Year. The singer is also nominated for Best Male Artiste, with Bundle by Bundle also earning a Music Video of the Year nomination.
Emerging talents are also well represented, with Fido, Fola, Llona, Mavo and Shoday competing for Next Rated.
Fola earned nominations in several categories, including Afrobeats Single of the Year for You, Best R&B Album for Catharsis, Best Recording of the Year, Digital Artiste of the Year, Best Male Artiste, Best Headies Collaboration for Lost with Kizz Daniel, and Writer of the Year.
Mavo is nominated for Digital Artiste of the Year, Best Male Artiste, Best Headies Collaboration for Body (Danz) with CKay, Rap Single for Wuse Tu with Zaylevelten, and Viewers’ Choice.
Major Categories
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 Artiste of the Year
Asake, Ayra Starr, BNXN, Chella, Fola, Mavo, Seyi Vibez and Wizkid.
Next Rated
Fido, Fola, Llona, Mavo and 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
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 and Tiwa Savage.
Best Male Artiste
Adekunle Gold, Asake, Fola, Mavo, Rema, Wizkid and Burna Boy.
Rookie of the Year
Amma, Danpapa Gta, Firstklaz, Kidd Carder, No11, Priesst and 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 (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, Kashcoming, Poco Lee, Seyi Vibez, Shallipopi, Tuff King and Rybeena.
International Artiste of the Year
Ciara, Dave, Gunna, Jazmine Sullivan, Shenseea and 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, Tôme, Bolu Ajibade, Nonso Amadi, Rooky Kamiz and Tobi.
East African Artiste
Abigail Chams, Bien, Bruce Melodie, Harmonize and Joshua Baraka.
West African Artiste
Black Sherif, Himra, KiDi, King Promise, Moliy, Wally B. Seck and Stonebwoy.
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, Dystinct, Marwan Moussa, Soolking and Tul8te.
Central African Artiste
Fally Ipupa, Ferré Gola, Héritier Watanabe, Hiro, Innoss’B and Locko.
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
The 18th Headies Awards will be staged in Canada, with nominees competing across a range of voting and non-voting categories.
More details later.