See the full list of Nominees for the 2022 Headies Awards

The Nigerian music scene has exploded globally and continued to grow from strength to strength in the last 24 months. From CKay’s viral hit “Love Nwantinti ” to Wizkid and Tems chart-topping Essence, Nigeria’s music has continued to dominate the airspace across the globe.

The 15th edition of the Headies Award celebrates Afrobeats, Nigeria and African music and the continent’s biggest music stars who have helped to shape the sound and spread the music beyond Africa.

For the first time, the Headies will be hosted in the USA. Here are five (5) things to watch out for from the 2022 Headies Nomination Award:

Wizkid dominates with 9 nominations: Nigeria’s very own international superstar leads the nomination charge once again with 9 nominations. The original starboy continues a streak of domination that have seen him nominated for multiple local and international awards since the drop of his last album ” Made In Lagos”
Next Rated Award: The award for the next big thing in the Nigerian music industry. The next rated this year is as competitive as any other year with BNXN, ZINOLESKY, AYRA STARR, RUGER AND LOJAY nominated for the prestigious category. Every year, the winner gets a car and this winner this year is going to get a 2022 Bentley Bentayga.
Ckay snub? The Love Nwantiti crooner was not nominated for any of his own songs leading to speculation online especially on Twitter that he was snubbed by the Headies.
Zazu crooner nomination: Since the announcement of the Headies 2022 Nomination, one of the names that has become a trending topic on Nigeria social media is Portable. The Zazu crooner was nominated for multiple categories at the 2022 Headies Award leading to speculation of what he might do if announced winners.
Hall of fame Angelique Kidjo: This year, multiple Grammys Award winner and African music legend Angelique Kidjo will be inducted into the Hall of Fame. The music and cultural powerhouse’s induction into the Headies Hall of Fame is a welcome news to many who view her as a defining force in the Africa music and cultural scenes. Congratulations Mama Africa

Here is the full list for the 15th edition of the Headies Award:

NEXT RATED

This category is a voting category for the most promising act (with an EP or Album) in the year under review.

AYRA STARR
BNXN
LOJAY
RUGER
ZINOLEESKY

AFRICAN ARTISTE OF THE YEAR

A voting award category for an individual African artiste or group with the most outstanding achievement, impact and infiltration into the International music scene within the year under review.

BLACK COFFEE (SOUTH AFRICA)
BURNA BOY (NIGERIA)
DAVIDO (NIGERIA)
DIAMOND PLATNUMZ (TANZANIA)
SOOLKING (ALGERIA)
WIZKID (NIGERIA)
AYA NAKAMURA (MALI)

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR:

A voting category for the rookie of the year who has had a successful year musically, with the absence of an album in the year under review.

AV
FAVE
MAGIXX
PORTABLE
UGOCCIE

BEST RECORDING OF THE YEAR

A non-voting category for the best recording (that meets the judges’ requirements of excellence; songwriting, production, rendition) by an artist or group in the year under review.

“CELEBRATE ME” – PATORANKING
“ESSENCE” – WIZKID FEAT. TEMS
“JOY” – FALANA
“LOVING IS HARDER” – JOHNNY DRILLE
“MEJI MEJI” – BRYMO
“SOMEBODY’S SON” – TIWA SAVAGE FEAT. BRANDY

PRODUCER OF THE YEAR

An individual responsible for producing the most acclaimed song or album in the year under review.

BEATS BY JAYY – “GOLDEN” (A-Q)
BLAISE BEATZ – “SINNER” (ADEKUNLE GOLD FEAT. LUCKY DAYE)
NIPHKEYS – “FEEL GOOD” (MOHBAD)
P PRIIME – “OZUMBA MBADIWE” (REEKADO BANKS)
PHEELZ – “HIGH” (ADEKUNLE GOLD FEAT. DAVIDO)
SARZ – “MONALISA” (LOJAY & SARZ)

SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR:

A non-voting category for the writer of a song (that meets the judges’ requirements of excellence, composition, arrangement, rendition) in the year under review.

ADEKUNLE GOLD – “SINNER”
AJEBO HUSTLERS – “LOYALTY”
BRYMO – “MEJI MEJI”
FALANA – “JOY”
FIREBOY DML – “PERU”
OMAH LAY – “UNDERSTAND”

BEST R&B SINGLE

A category for the best r&b single in the year under review (by a single individual or group).

“BABY RIDDIM” – FAVE
“BEGGIE BEGGIE” – AYRA STARR FEAT. CKAY
“ESSENCE” – WIZKID FEAT. TEMS
“RUNNING (TO YOU)” – CHIKE FEAT. SIMI
“PROMISE” – NINIOLA
“SINNER” – ADEKUNLE GOLD FEAT. LUCK DAYE

BEST RAP SINGLE

A voting category for a single (released on-air) recording of a rap song.

“BREATHE” – A-Q FEAT CHIKE
“CROWN OF CLAY” – VECTOR & MI ABAGA FEAT. PHEELZ
“EARLY MOMO” – VECTOR FEAT. GOODGIRL LA
“FEELING” – LADIPOE FEAT. BNXN
“TYCOON” – SHOW DEM CAMP FEAT. REMINISCE & MOJO
“LOADING” – OLAMIDE FEAT BAD BOY TIMZ

BEST ‘ALTERNATIVE’ SONG

A voting category for the artiste whose songs reflect any form or style of music which falls outside the mainstream of recent or past popular musical trends.

“DOINGS” – FLAVOUR
“FREE YOUR MIND” – MADE KUTI
“GONTO” – IBEJII
“HUSTLE” – BASKETMOUTH, THE CAVEMEN, BEZ, DICE AILES
“MEJI MEJI” – BRYMO
“SELENSE” – THE CAVEMEN

BEST VOCAL PERFORMANCE (FEMALE)

A non-voting category for the single female artiste with the most outstanding vocal performances on a single song or album.

AYRA STARR – “TOXIC”
LIYA – “ALARI”
NINIOLA – “6TH HEAVEN”
SIMI – “RUNNING (TO YOU)”
TEMS – “ESSENCE”
WAJE – “LAST TIME”

BEST VOCAL PERFORMANCE(MALE)

A non-voting category for the single male artiste with the most outstanding vocal performance on a single song or album.

BRYMO – “MEJI MEJI”
JOHNNY DRILLE – “LOVING IS HARDER”
OXLADE – “OJUJU”
RIC HASSANI – “WHEN I’M GONE”
TAY IWAR – “PEAKING”

LYRICIST ON THE ROLL

A non-voting category for the rap artiste with the best lyrical depth and performance on a single song or album.

A-Q – “THE LAST CYPHER”
BLAQBONEZ – “THE LAST CYPHER”
JESSE JAGZ – “VIPERS”
LADIPOE – “PROVIDENCE”
PAYPER CORLEONE – “IN DON WE TRUST”
VECTOR – “CROWN OF CLAY”

BEST MUSIC VIDEO

A voting category for the best conceptualist, best directed and most exciting video in the year under review. This award goes to the video director.

“CHAMPION” – (FIREBOY DML FEAT. D SMOKE) DIRECTED BY TG OMORI
“GINGER” – (WIZKID FEAT. BURNA BOY) DIRECTED BY MEJI ALABI
“ROJU” – (CHIKE) DIRECTED BY PINK
“RAIN” – (YEMI ALADE FEAT. MZANSI YOUTH CHOIR) DIRECTED BY OVIE ETSEYATSE
“BLING” – (BLAQBONEZ FEAT. AMAARAE & BNXN) DIRECTED BY TG OMORI
“RUNNING” – (LADIPOE FEAT. FIREBOY DML) DIRECTED BY DIRECTOR K

BEST COLLABORATION

A voting category for the best r&b, pop or hip-hop collaborative track (including cameos).

“BEGGIE BEGGIE” – AYRA STARR FEAT. CKAY
“BLING” – BLAQBONEZ FEAT. AMAARAE & BNXN
“EARLY MOMO” – VECTOR FEAT. GOODGIRL LA
“ESSENCE” – WIZKID FEAT. TEMS
“FEELING” – LADIPOE FEAT. BNXN
“RUNNING (TO YOU)” – CHIKE FEAT. SIMI

BEST STREET-HOP ARTISTE

A voting category for the artiste whose songs are inspired by the streets. Such songs should captain lingua, which may also have originated by the artiste and are popular on the street.

BELLA SHMURDA – “CASH APP” FEAT. ZLATAN & LINCOlN
REXXIE & MOHBAD – “KPK”
MOHBAD – “FEEL GOOD”
NAIRA MARLEY – “KOLEYEWON”
NEKTUNEZ & GOYA MENOR – “AMENO AMAPIANO (REMIX)”
POCO LEE & PORTABLE featuring OLAMIDE – “ZAZOO ZEHH”

BEST AFROBEATS SINGLE OF THE YEAR

A voting category for the best Afrobeats single in the year under review (by a single individual or group).

“BLOODY SAMARITAN” – AYRA STARR
“BOUNCE” – RUGER
“HIGH” – ADEKUNLE GOLD FEAT. DAVIDO
“MONALISA” – LOJAY & SARZ
“OZUMBA MBADIWE” – REEKADO BANKS
“PERU” – FIREBOY DML

HEADIES’ VIEWER’S CHOICE

A voting category to award the fan’s favourite artiste with the most digital tractions (downloads, views, streams) in the year under review.

AYRA STARR – “BLOODY SAMARITAN”
FIREBOY – “PERU”
JOEBOY – “SIP”
LOJAY & SARZ – “MONALISA”
NEKTUNEZ & GOYA MENOR – “AMENO AMAPIANO (REMIX)”
OLAMIDE FEAT. OMAH LAY – “INFINITY”7. REMA – “SOUNDGASM”
WIZKID FEAT. TEMS – “ESSENCE”

BEST WEST AFRICAN ARTISTE OF THE YEAR

A voting award category for an individual African artiste or group (of Western African Descent) with the most outstanding achievement and impact across Africa in the year under review.

AMAARAE (GHANA)
ANGELIQUE KIDJO (BENIN)
AYA NAKAMURA (MALI)
GYAKIE (GHANA)
KIDI (GHANA)
NELSON FREITAS (CAPE VERDE)

BEST EAST AFRICAN ARTISTE OF THE YEAR

A voting award category for an individual African artiste or group (of Eastern African Descent) with the most outstanding achievement and impact across Africa in the year under review.

DIAMOND PLATINUMZ (TANZANIA)
EDDY KENZO (UGANDA)
HARMONIZE (TANZANIA)
MEDDY (RWANDA)
NIKITA KERING (KENYA)
ZUCHU (TANZANIA)

BEST NORTH AFRICAN ARTISTE OF THE YEAR

A voting award category for an individual African artiste or group (of Northern African Descent) with the most outstanding achievement and impact across Africa in the year under review.

EMEL MATHLOUTHI (TUNISIA)
ELGRAND TOTO (MOROCCO)
LATIFA (TUNISIA)
MANAL (MOROCCO)
MUHAMAD RAMADAN (EGYPT)
SOOLKING (ALGERIA)

BEST SOUTHERN AFRICAN ARTISTE OF THE YEAR

A voting award category for an individual African artiste or group (of Southern African Descent) with the most outstanding achievement and impact across Africa in the year under review.

BLACK COFFEE (SOUTH AFRICA)
DJ TARICO (MOZAMBIQUE)
ELAINE (SOUTH AFRICA)
FOCALISTIC (SOUTH AFRICA)
JAH PRAYZAH (ZIMBABWE)
SHA SHA (ZIMBABWE)

BEST CENTRAL AFRICAN ARTISTE OF THE YEAR

A voting award category for an individual African artiste or group (of Central African Descent) with the most outstanding achievement and impact across Africa in the year under review.

CALEMA (SAO TOME & PRINCIPE)
BLANCHE BAILLY (CAMEROON)
DADJU (DR CONGO)
FALLY IPUPA (DR CONGO)
INNOSS’B (DR CONGO)
SORAIA RAMOS (CAPE VERDE)

BEST AFROBEATS ALBUM

A category for the best Afrobeats album in the year under review (by a single individual or group).

“19 AND DANGEROUS” – AYRA STARR
“A BETTER TIME” – DAVIDO
“BARNABAS” – KIZZ DANIEL
“MADE IN LAGOS (DELUXE EDITION)” – WIZKID
“KPOS LIFESTYLE” – AJEBO HUSTLERS
“WONDALAND” – TENI

BEST REGGAE & DANCEHALL ALBUM

A voting category for the Best Reggae & Dancehall album (solo or group) in the year under review.

“GRATITUDE” – TIMAYA
“LOVE IS WAR” – PRETTYBOY D-O
“RAINBOW RIDDIM” – SHANK
“THREE” – PATORANKING
“YAADMAN KINGSIZE” – YUNG L

BEST R&B ALBUM

A category for the best r&b album in the year under review (by a single individual or group).

“BEFORE WE FALL ASLEEP” – JOHNNY DRILLE
“IF ORANGE WAS A PLACE” – TEMS
“LOVE DEEP HIGH LIFE” – OMAWUMI
“RISING” – FALANA
“THE PRINCE I BECAME” – RIC HASSANI
“WATER AND GARRI” – TIWA SAVAGE

BEST ALTERNATIVE ALBUM

A category for the best Alternative album in the year under review (by a single individual or group).

“9: ESAN” – BRYMO
“INTERMISSION” – IBEJII
“LEGACY +” – FEMI KUTI & MADE KUTI
“LOVE AND HIGHLIFE” – THE CAVEMEN
“P.S. THANK YOU FOR WAITING” – WAVY THE CREATOR
“YABASI” – BASKETMOUTH

BEST RAP ALBUM

A non-voting category for the best album by a rap artiste or group in the year under review.

“CARPE DIEM” – OLAMIDE
“CLONE WARS VOL. 5 – THE ALGORHYTHM” – SHOW DEM CAMP
“GOLDEN” – A-Q
“MAFIA CULTURE, VOL. 2.0” – IDOWEST
“PROVIDENCE” – LADIPOE
“SEX OVER LOVE” – BLAQBONEZ

ALBUM OF THE YEAR

A voting category for the best album (solo or group) in the year under review, that meets judges’ requirements of excellence (songwriting, production, rendition and impact).

“9: ESAN” – BRYMO
“19 & DANGEROUS” – AYRA STARR
“CARPE DIEM” – OLAMIDE
“LEGACY +” – FEMI KUTI & MADE KUTI
“MADE IN LAGOS (DELUXE EDITION)” – WIZKID
“YABASI” – BASKETMOUTH

SONG OF THE YEAR

A voting category for the most popular song in the year under review.

“CELEBRATE ME” – PATORANKING
“DOINGS” – FLAVOUR FEAT. PHYNO
“ESSENCE” – WIZKID FEAT. TEMS
“HIGH” – ADEKUNLE GOLD FEAT. DAVIDO
“MONALISA” – LOJAY & SARZ
“PERU” – FIREBOY DML

BEST FEMALE ARTISTE

Overall most successful female artiste (with artistic quality and/or impact) in the year under review.

SIMI
TEMS
TIWA SAVAGE
TENI
NINIOLA

BEST MALE ARTISTE

Overall most successful male artiste (with artistic quality and/or impact) in the year under review.

ADEKUNLE GOLD
BURNA BOY
DAVIDO
FLAVOUR
OLAMIDE
WIZKID

INTERNATIONAL ARTISTE RECOGNITION

Special recognition to an individual(s) for excellence and outstanding impact on the Nigerian entertainment industry within a specific period and/or the year under review.

WYCLEF JEAN
AKON
P DIDDY

SPECIAL RECOGNITION

Special recognition to an individual(s) for excellence and outstanding impact on the entertainment industry within the year under review.

BOSE OGULU
SUNDAY ARE
EFE OMOROGBE

HALL OF FAME

Special recognition to an individual of African Descent, for excellence and outstanding impact on the African entertainment industry, home and abroad.

ANGELINA KIDJO

HUMANITARIAN AWARD OF THE YEAR

A voting category to recognize and Award extraordinary individuals and/or groups who have positively impacted the lives of people, nature and society within the year in review.