Entertainment
Full List Of 2026 Headies Awards Nominees
Organisers of the Headies Awards have released the 2026 nomination list, with Nigerian music stars, Davido, Wizkid and Burna Boy securing multiple nominations for the 18th edition of the Awards.
Daily Voice reports that the 18th Headies Awards ceremony will be held in Canada, with nominees competing across the various voting and non-voting categories.
Davido, Wizkid and Burna Boy feature 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 Producer of the Year-related nominations.
Also, Davido and Omah Lay’s ‘With You’ is nominated 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 nominated for Afrobeats Album of the Year, while he is in contention 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 is in contention for Afrobeats Album of the Year. He is also nominated for Best Male Artiste, with Bundle by Bundle featuring in the Music Video of the Year category.
See the full list below.
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 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
Wizkid
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
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
Tiwa Savage
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
Best Male Artiste
Adekunle Gold
Asake
Fola
Mavo
Rema
Wizkid
Burna Boy
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 — 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
Rookie of the Year
Amma
Danpapa Gta
Firstklaz
Kidd Carder
No11
Priesst
OG Abbah
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)
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 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 — 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 (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
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
Daily Voice reports that the Convener of the Coalition of Public Interest Lawyers and Advocates (COPA), Pelumi Olajengbesi, announced the singer’s death in a post via his Instagram page on Wednesday.
While praying for God’s mercy upon Toluwanisings, Olajengbesi expressed concern over the death of young Nigerians.
The family of the deceased also confirmed the demise in a statement via the singer’s Instagram page after confusion trailed the death.
In a post shared on his Instagram handle, Oloketuyi said Toluwanisings slumped on the stairs and was rushed from one hospital to another.
According to him, Toluwanisings was rejected in two hospitals before the third medical facility, which accepted him, confirmed the singer dead.
While describing the death as too painful, Oloketuyi wrote, “How Toluwasings died. DEATH SHAME ON YOU: You slumped on the stairs, and they began rushing you from one hospital to another. The first hospital rejected you, the second hospital rejected you, and by the time you got to the third hospital, they said you were gone.
“This is too painful to believe. A gospel musician whose voice once blessed souls, gone just like that?
“Death, why are you so cruel?
“Rest in peace, Toluwanisings. Your voice may be silent here on earth, but the songs you left behind will continue to speak.”
Afrobeats star Oyinkansola Sarah Aderibigbe, better known as Ayra Starr, has announced a 20-city world tour to support her third studio album, Starrgirl.
The Starrgirl World Tour is scheduled to begin in Europe in January 2027, with stops across Europe, the United Kingdom, and North America.
Ayra announced that the tour will open on January 20 at Live Music Hall in Cologne, Germany. It will then move through Amsterdam, Paris, Milan, Zurich and Brussels before closing the European leg in London on February 2 at Shepherd’s Bush Empire.
The North American leg will commence on March 18 at House of Blues in Houston, Texas, with additional performances in Dallas, Atlanta, Silver Spring, Boston, Philadelphia, Brooklyn, Toronto, Montreal, Chicago, Minneapolis and Denver.
The tour will round off on April 14 at The Fillmore in San Francisco, California.
Before the international dates, she is expected to perform in Africa in December 2026, though dates and venues for that leg are yet to be disclosed.
The announcement comes a day after her appearance at the National Football League International Game in London on Sunday, October 11, where she headlined the halftime show during the Philadelphia Eagles versus Jacksonville Jaguars match at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The performance added to her growing list of international milestones, following the global success of her music and outings at major global events.
Starrgirl, released on August 14, 2026, through Mavin Records and Republic Records, features collaborations with British singer ZAYN, American singer Leon Thomas and Nigerian singer Wizkid. NigerianCulture Magazine
The album includes Heaven Baby with ZAYN, which reached number two on the Official Afrobeats Chart, according to the Official Charts Company.
Starr, known for breakout hits like Rush, Bloody Samaritan and Commas, has continued to expand her reach beyond Africa through streaming, international shows and cross-border collaborations.
According to her Instagram Story post, tickets for the European and UK dates will be available through artist and Mastercard presales starting October 14, with general sales opening October 16 at 10 am local time via Live Nation.
Sharon Ademefun (née Adeleke), the sister of popular Nigerian singer Davido, has said she no longer spends excessively on expensive clothes.
She said some things are worth the cost, but others are hard to justify.
Daily Voice reports that Ademefun shared her reservations during an interview on The Fashion Round Table podcast.
“I don’t really believe in buying expensive clothes, me personally. I believe that there are some things that are worth it. When I’m hearing that a wedding guest dress is $10,000, a wedding guest dress, they’re all the same price now,” she said.
Sharon also opened up about her wedding expenses, revealing that her husband paid $2,000 for her wedding dress, while she covered the cost of dresses for her 13 bridesmaids and an additional four or five hostesses.
“I remember for my wedding, my husband paid $2,000 for my dress, and I paid for all my bridesmaids’ dresses. I had 13 bridesmaids, and I paid for the hostesses’ dresses too. That was an additional four or five people. Altogether, I spent less than $10,000 on everything. But that comes back to where I went. I just feel like there are certain things that I’m not willing to pay for anymore. So I don’t believe in overly expensive clothes. I’m turning 40 next year, and I’ve made an executive decision- unfortunately, I’m sorry to say this- that I will not be participating with any Nigerian designer directly,” she said.
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