The 18th Headies Awards has unveiled its full nomination list, with the ceremony confirmed for October 23, this year,  in Toronto, Canada. The year in review for the nominations stretches fromAugust 2024 till July 2025. However, as is typical with award shows, its most significant story is not the familiar names at the top.

FOLA leads all nominees with 10 nominations, including top categories like Afrobeats Single of the Year with 'You', Best R&B Album with Catharsis, Best Recording of the Year, Digital Artiste of the Year, Best Male Artiste, Best Headies Collaboration with 'Lost' featuring Kizz Daniel, and Writer of the Year. For an artist who has been building steadily and deliberately outside the mainstream conversation, 10 nominations is the industry catching up to what most fans already knew.

Davido followed closely with the second highest nominations, earning nods in 8 categories — driven largely by one song: 'With You' featuring Omah Lay —  including Song of the Year, Afrobeats Single of the Year, Best Recording of the Year, Best Headies Collaboration and Viewers' Choice. For the rest of the Big 3, Wizkid's 'MMS' and 'Jogodo' - both with Asake - clinched Song of the Year and Afrobeats Single of the Year nods respectively. Wizkid's album Morayo is also in contention for Afrobeats Album of the Year.

The Song of the Year category brings together Kunmie's 'Arike', Poco Lee, Shoday and Rahman Jago's 'Hey Jago', Ayra Starr's 'Hot Body', Fido's 'Joy Is Coming', 'MMS' by Asake and Wizkid, and 'With You' by Davido and Omah Lay.

Then comes Next Rated - historically one of the show’s most contested categories - features Fido, Fola, Llona, Mavo and Shoday together.The category reflects a generation of artists who have been building genuine fanbases and critical credibility in parallel, and the competition this year is as close as it has been in recent memory.

The 18th Headies will hold in October 23,  in Toronto.

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