FOLA is having a night to remember before the night even starts. The singer topped the nominations list for the 18th Headies Awards, picking up 10 nods across the ceremony’s biggest categories.
Davido follows with 8 nominations, according to the full nominee list released this week. Wizkid, Omah Lay, Burna Boy, Asake, Adekunle Gold, Rema and Mavo also feature in the Best Male Artiste category, while Ayra Starr, Tems, Tiwa Savage, Teni, Sewa and Qing Madi make up Best Female Artiste. The 18th Headies Awards will hold in Canada on October 23, 2026.
The Song of the Year list carries five records: Kunmie’s “Arike,” Davido and Omah Lay’s “With You,” Ayra Starr’s “Hot Body,” Asake and Wizkid’s “MMS,” and Fido’s “Joy Is Coming.” Album of the Year pulls from four projects: Wizkid’s “Morayo,” Omah Lay’s “Clarity of Mind,” FOLA’s “Catharsis,” and Burna Boy’s “No Sign of Weakness.” FOLA also picked up a Next Rated nomination, alongside Fido, Llona, Mavo and Shoday.
I want you to sit with that Next Rated list for a moment. FOLA is competing for Song of the Year, Album of the Year and Next Rated in the same year, a spread that tells you how fast the artist has moved from newcomer to contender.
The Headies has spent nearly two decades tracking Nigerian music’s biggest names before the rest of the world caught on. This year’s list reads like a snapshot of an industry with no clear front runner. Wizkid, Davido and Burna Boy, three names that have carried Nigerian music on international stages for years, sit in the same categories as Mavo and Fido, artists who broke out far more recently.
That crowded field says something about where Nigerian music stands right now. Streaming numbers, festival bookings and international collaborations have widened the pool of artists who can credibly compete for the same trophy in the same year. A decade ago, a list this deep would have been unusual. Today it is close to expected.
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Nothing is decided yet. The Headies organizers have confirmed the nominee list, but voting and the winners’ announcement will not happen until the ceremony in Canada on October 23. Whether FOLA converts 10 nominations into wins, or whether Davido and Wizkid’s experience carries them further, will not be clear for weeks.
I will be tracking the winners list the moment it drops, because a field this competitive rarely settles the way anyone expects.
