Full Nomination List for the 18th Headies Awards
The highly anticipated 18th edition of the Headies Music Awards has officially unveiled its nominees, following the announcement today. This year’s nominations span 35 categories, including fan favourites like Rookie of the Year, Next Rated, Best Street-Hop Artiste, Song of the Year, and Album-focused categories. There's also a Hall of Fame category celebrating Awilo Longomba.
The 18th Headies, themed “Africa to the World,” will celebrate Nigerian and African music while also recognising African diaspora talent, with the ceremony scheduled to hold in Toronto, Canada.
Below is the full list of nominees:
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’ — Sewà
‘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
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)
Meji Alabi — “Who’s Dat Girl” (Ayra Starr ft. Rema)
Best Female Artiste
Ayra Starr
Qing Madi
Sewà
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
“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?”
Sewà — “Lagos Lovin”
Qing Madi — “Scum Bag”
Liya — “Skin to Skin”
Tiwa Savage — “You4Me”
Best Street-Hop Artiste
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 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) — “Arike”
Peace Chidinma Amaefula (Amaeya) — “How Do You?”
Best Headies Collaboration
CKay ft Mavo — “Body (Danz)”
Mavo ft WAVE$TAR — “Escaladizzy”
Poco Lee, Shoday \\\\& Rahman Jago — “Hey Jago”
FOLA ft Kizz Daniel — “Lost”
Odumodublvck ft Victony — “Pity This Boy”
Davido ft Omah Lay — “With You”
Mr Eazi and King Promise — “See What We’ve Done”
Chief Priest ft Spyki — “Finally”
African Diaspora-Canadian Artiste
Debby Friday — “Lipsync”
Tôme — “CC” ft Alpha P
Bolu Ajibade — “Diana” with Friyie
Nonso Amadi — “Dive In”
Rooky Kamiz — “Deeper”
Tobi — “Out the Mud”
East African Artiste
Abigail Chams (Tanzania)
Bien (Kenya)
Bruce Melodie (Rwanda)
Harmonize (Tanzania)
Joshua Baraka (Uganda)
West African Artiste
Black Sherif (Ghana)
Himra (Côte d’Ivoire)
KiDi (Ghana)
King Promise (Ghana)
Moliy (Ghana)
Wally B. Seck (Senegal)
Stonebwoy (Ghana)
Best Alternative Song
“CYK Baddie” — Luwa.mp4 ft Jeleel!
“Lagos Lovin” — Sewà
“Oliver” — Wizard Chan
“Omo to Sexy” — Binde
“Prada Baby” — WAVE$TAR
“Sweet Danger” — Obongjayar
“Summer Adina” — Chief Priest ft BoyPee \\\\& Zoro Swagbag
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
“2:02 PM in London” — ODUMODUBLVCK
“ACL”— 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 WAVE$TAR
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 — “ACL”
Dremo — “Man2Man”
Modenine — “If You Like Gym” with Odumodublvck
PDSTRN — “Moshood”
Ycee — “Man2Man (Ycee Remix)” with Dremo
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 Album
‘Black Sheepizen (The 13th Disciple)’ — Tuff King
‘GE3 (The Beginning)’ — A-Q
‘G.O.A.T’ — Erigga
‘King’ — Jeriq
‘No Excuses’ — Blaqbonez
‘The Machine Is Coming’ — ODUMODUBLVCK
