PHOTO CREDIT: The Headies / Pulse Nigeria
Fola, Omah Lay, Wizkid Lead Nominations for 18th Headies Awards
The organizers of The Headies, Africa’s biggest music award, have unveiled the full nominations list for its 18th edition, set to hold on October 25, 2026, in Toronto, Canada.

Themed “Africa to the World”, this year’s edition features 213 nominations across 35 categories, covering music released between August 1, 2024 and April 30, 2026.

Breakout star Fola leads the pack with 10 nominations including Album of the Year, Next Rated, Songwriter of the Year and Best Male Artiste, driven by his acclaimed debut album CATHARSIS. Omah Lay follows closely with 8 nominations, while Mavo and Wizkid bagged 7 nods each. Asake and Davido both earned 6 nominations each.

Among female artistes, Ayra Starr and Tiwa Savage are the most nominated with 5 nominations apiece, alongside breakout act Kunmie whose hit single ‘Arike’ earned him a Song of the Year nod.

The most nominated song of the year is Davido and Omah Lay’s collaboration ‘With You’, which appears in six categories including Recording of the Year, Music Video, Best Collaboration, Afrobeats Single, Viewers’ Choice, and Song of the Year.

Other key categories include:

Next Rated: Fido, FOLA, Llona, Mavo, Shoday, and Zaylevelten

Album of the Year: Fola – CATHARSIS, Omah Lay – Clarity of Mind, Erigga – G.O.A.T, Wizkid – Morayo, Burna Boy – No Sign of Weakness, Odumodublvck – The Machine Is Coming, and Tiwa Savage – This One Is Personal

This year’s awards also spotlights Alternative music in general categories and expands its regional reach to 16 African countries, plus International Artiste of the Year and Best Canadian/African Diaspora Artiste categories.

For special honours, legendary Congolese artiste Awilo Longomba will receive the Headies Hall of Fame Award, while Cecil Hammond will be honoured with the Special Recognition Award for his contribution to African entertainment.
SOURCE: Pulse Nigeria –