Nigeria’s biggest night in music is set for another international outing, with organisers confirming that the 18th edition of the Headies Awards will be held in Toronto, Canada, on October 25, 2026. The full list of nominees, released in late August, places Afrobeats’ biggest names — Davido, Wizkid, Burna Boy, Asake, Ayra Starr, Tems and Rema — at the centre of a crowded and competitive field spanning more than 30 categories.

Davido leads the pack with multiple nods, including a Song of the Year nomination for “With You,” his collaboration with Omah Lay, which also features in the Afrobeats Single of the Year category. Wizkid is close behind, drawing attention for his collaborative efforts “MMS” and “Jogodo” (the latter with Asake), while his album Morayo is up for Afrobeats Album of the Year. Burna Boy rounds out the trio of heavyweights with a Best Male Artiste nomination and multiple mentions for his track “Bundle by Bundle” and album No Sign of Weakness, also shortlisted for Afrobeats Album of the Year.

The Best Female Artiste category pits Ayra Starr against Tems and Tiwa Savage, among others, while the Song of the Year race includes six contenders, among them Ayra Starr’s “Hot Body.” The eligibility window for this year’s awards runs from August 1, 2024, through April 30, 2026, reflecting the Headies’ practice of casting a wide net across an extended release calendar.

Beyond the marquee names, the ceremony’s Next Rated category — long seen as a launching pad for rising stars — spotlights five emerging acts: Fido, Fola, Llona, Mavo and Shoday. Organisers are also set to honour Congolese music legend Awilo Longomba with a Hall of Fame award, alongside a Special Recognition Award for entertainment executive Cecil Hammond.

Not every development has been celebrated. Nigerian entertainment outlet Culture Custodian published an analysis flagging several surprises in this year’s list, noting that rapper and singer Famous Pluto was left out of the Rookie of the Year category despite the acclaim surrounding his Uzama the 3rd EP, and that Wizkid’s run of featured verses this cycle did not translate into a Song of the Year nod. The outlet also questioned the placement of certain alternative releases in genre categories, a critique it has leveled at the Headies in previous years as well.

Also drawing attention — and some social media chatter — was a nomination for socialite Cubana Chief Priest in the Best Headies Collaboration category, a category increasingly used to recognise non-musicians whose business or cultural influence intersects with the industry.

The Headies, first held in Lagos in 2006, has increasingly staged its ceremony outside Nigeria in recent years as Afrobeats’ global audience has grown, and this year’s move to Toronto continues that trend, placing the genre’s biggest stars before one of its fastest-growing diaspora fan bases in North America. Winners will be announced at the Toronto ceremony on October 25.

Sources: Premium Times, Afrocritik, AllAfrica/Vanguard, Culture Custodian