By Ghazali Ibrahim
The organisers of The Headies have unveiled the nominees for the 18th edition of the prestigious Nigerian music awards, with rising star FOLA emerging as the most nominated artiste.
The nomination list, released on Tuesday, features 213 nominations across 35 categories and recognises music released between August 1, 2024 and April 30, 2026.
The 18th Headies, themed “Africa to the World,” will take place in Toronto, Canada. The organisers have listed October 23, 2026, for the main awards ceremony on their official events calendar.
FOLA leads the pack with 10 nominations, followed by Omah Lay with eight, while Mavo and Wizkid each secured seven nominations.
Among female artistes, Ayra Starr and Tiwa Savage lead with five nominations apiece. Davido and Asake also received multiple nominations, further highlighting the dominance of established Afrobeats stars alongside a new generation of artistes.
FOLA’s nominations include Best Recording of the Year, Songwriter of the Year, Best R&B Album, Best Collaboration, Afrobeats Single of the Year, Headies Viewers’ Choice, Album of the Year, Digital Artiste of the Year, Next Rated and Best Male Artiste.
His song, “You,” is in contention for Song of the Year, Afrobeats Single of the Year and Best Recording of the Year, while his album, Catharsis, is nominated for Best R&B Album.
Omah Lay’s Clarity of Mind is among the nominees for Album of the Year, while his collaboration with Davido, “With You,” received nominations in major categories including Song of the Year, Afrobeats Single of the Year and Best Recording of the Year.
The Song of the Year category features Kunmie’s “Arike,” Poco Lee, Shoday and Rahman Jago’s “Hey Jago,” Ayra Starr’s “Hot Body,” Fido’s “Joy Is Coming,” Asake and Wizkid’s “MMS,” and Davido and Omah Lay’s “With You.”
The Afrobeats Single of the Year category includes Rema’s “Fun,” Asake and Wizkid’s “Jogodo,” Shallipopi’s “Laho,” Davido and Omah Lay’s “With You,” FOLA’s “You,” and Burna Boy’s “Bundle by Bundle.”
The highly anticipated Next Rated category pits Fido, FOLA, Llona, Mavo and Shoday against one another.
The category recognises emerging artistes considered to have the potential to become major stars.
Other major categories include Best Male Artiste, Best Female Artiste, Album of the Year, Afrobeats Album of the Year, Digital Artiste of the Year, Best Performer (Live), Best R&B Album, Best Rap Album, Best Street-Hop Artiste and Music Video of the Year.
