Meet the Headies Awards 2025 Nominees: Celebrating the Best in African Music

The Headies Awards, one of Africa’s most prestigious music honors, returns in 2025 to celebrate excellence in the Nigerian and African music industry.

The anticipation for the 17th edition of The Headies, Nigeria’s most prestigious music awards, reached a fever pitch on February 12, 2025, when the official nomination list was unveiled.

Recognizing the outstanding achievements of artists, producers, and industry professionals, the Headies continues highlighting the best in Afrobeats, hip-hop, R&B, and other genres shaping the continent’s soundscape.

The Headies 2025 Nomination List showcases the year’s most influential and impactful talents, spanning multiple categories that honor artistic creativity, commercial success, and cultural significance. As anticipation builds for the award ceremony, fans, and industry insiders eagerly await to see which stars will take home the coveted trophies.

Here is the official Headies 2025 Nomination List, featuring the artists and works that have defined the past year in music.

1. Album of the Year

• Born in the Wild – Tems
• HEIS – Rema
• The Year I Turned 21 – Ayra Starr
• Stubborn – Victony
• Work of Art – Asake

2. Song of the Year

• “Charm” – Rema
• “Last Heartbreak Song” – Ayra Starr (feat. Giveon)
• “Higher” – Burna Boy
• “Different Pattern” – Seyi Vibez
• “Cast” – Shallipopi (feat. Odumodublvck)

3. Next Rated

• Qing Madi
• Shallipopi
• Odumodublvck
• Ayo Maff
• Nasboi

4. Best Recording of the Year

• “Burning” – Tems
• “Higher” – Burna Boy
• “Me & U” – Tems
• “Angelina” – Qing Madi
• “Peace” – Mohbad

5. Best Male Artiste

• Rema
• Burna Boy
• Asake
• Victony
• Seyi Vibez

6. Best Female Artiste

• Tems
• Ayra Starr
• Qing Madi
• Simi
• Fave

7. Rookie of the Year

• Taves
• Zerry DL
• Kaestyle
• Llona
• Ayo Maff

8. Producer of the Year

• Sarz – “Higher” (Burna Boy)
• Pheelz – “Electricity” (Pheelz feat. Davido)
• Magicsticks – “Stubborn” (Victony)
• London – “Charm” (Rema)
• Tytanium – “Different Pattern” (Seyi Vibez)

9. Songwriter of the Year

• Tems – “Burning”
• Rema – “Charm”
• Ayra Starr – “Last Heartbreak Song”
• Mohbad – “Peace”
• Burna Boy – “Higher”

10. Best Rap Artiste

• Odumodublvck
• Blaqbonez
• Ladipoe
• PsychoYP
• JeriQ

11. Best Rap Single

• “Cast” – Shallipopi (feat. Odumodublvck)
• “Hustle” – Blaqbonez
• “Not Sorry” – PsychoYP
• “Wale” – Ladipoe
• “Money” – Jeriq

12. Lyricist on the Roll

• Blaqbonez – “Hustle”
• Odumodublvck – “Cast”
• PsychoYP – “Not Sorry”
• Ladipoe – “Wale”
• Vector – “Mercy”

13. Best Vocal Performance (Male)

• Rema – “Charm”
• Burna Boy – “Higher”
• Victony – “Angel”
• Johnny Drille – “Believe Me”
• Chike – “Running (To You)”

14. Best Vocal Performance (Female)

• Tems – “Burning”
• Ayra Starr – “Last Heartbreak Song”
• Qing Madi – “Angelina”
• Simi – “All I Want”
• Waje – “Worth It”

15. Best Music Video

• “Charm” – Rema (Director: Folarin Oludare)
• “Higher” – Burna Boy (Director: Troy Roscoe)
• “Last Heartbreak Song” – Ayra Starr (feat. Giveon) (Director: Sean Frank)
• “Cast” – Shallipopi (feat. Odumodublvck) (Director: Joshua Valle)
• “Different Pattern” – Seyi Vibez (Director: TG Omori)

16. Best Collaboration

• “Last Heartbreak Song” – Ayra Starr (feat. Giveon)
• “Cast” – Shallipopi (feat. Odumodublvck)
• “Electricity” – Pheelz (feat. Davido)
• “Ozeba” – Rema (feat. Shallipopi)
• “Twe Twe” – Kizz Daniel (feat. Davido)

17. Best Street-Hop Artiste

• Shallipopi
• Seyi Vibez
• Zerry DL
• Portable
• Mohbad (Posthumous)

18. Best Alternative Song

• “Angelina” – Qing Madi
• “Believe Me” – Johnny Drille
• “Mercy” – Vector
• “Running” – Chike (feat. Simi)
• “Ole” – Taves

19. Digital Artiste of the Year

• Burna Boy
• Rema
• Tems
• Asake
• Ayra Starr

20. African Artiste of the Year

• Burna Boy (Nigeria)
• Tems (Nigeria)
• Rema (Nigeria)
• Diamond Platnumz (Tanzania)
• Focalistic (South Africa)

21. Headies Viewer’s Choice

• “Charm” – Rema
• “Higher” – Burna Boy
• “Last Heartbreak Song” – Ayra Starr (feat. Giveon)
• “Different Pattern” – Seyi Vibez
• “Cast” – Shallipopi (feat. Odumodublvck)

22. Special Recognition Awards

• (To be announced during the ceremony – typically honors industry legends or contributors)

23. Hall of Fame

• (To be announced – honors lifetime achievement in Nigerian music)

Notes on the List

• Posthumous Nominations: Mohbad’s three nominations, honoring his lasting impact, include Best Street-Hop Artiste, Best Recording of the Year (“Peace”), and Songwriter of the Year.
• Rema’s Dominance: With nine nominations, Rema leads the pack, appearing in categories like Album of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Male Artiste, and more.
• Global Influence: Collaborations with international artists (e.g., Giveon) and nods in African Artiste of the Year reflect Nigeria’s growing dominance in global music.
• New Talent: The Rookie of the Year and Next Rated categories spotlight emerging stars poised to shape the future.