The full list of nominees for the 17th Headies Awards was unveiled on February 12, 2025, with Afrobeats superstar Rema emerging as the most nominated artist, securing nine nominations across major categories.
Rema, who holds the record for the most-streamed Afrobeats song on Spotify, earned nominations for Album of the Year and Artist of the Year. He also received nods for Best Producer for his contribution to his hit single Hehehe and Best Video Director for co-directing Charm.
Close behind is his label mate Ayra Starr, who received eight nominations. Her single Last Heartbreak Song earned nods for Record of the Year, Best Female Vocal Performance, and Best R&B Song. She was also nominated for Best Album and Artist of the Year.
Rapper OdumoduBlvck also secured eight nominations and will be looking to expand his Headies collection. His chart-topping hit Blood On The Dancefloor earned nominations for Best Collaboration and Best Rap Song. His feature on Shallipopi’s Cast also landed him nominations for Best Street Hop Star, Best Collaboration, Best Rap Single, and Viewers’ Choice Award. Additionally, he is in contention for the coveted Next Rated Prize alongside Shallipopi, Ayo Maff, Qing Madi, and Nasboi.
Kizz Daniel follows with seven nominations, including Song of the Year for Showa, while his hit collaboration Twe Twe with Davido earned nods for Best Collaboration and Afrobeats Single of the Year.
Asake, Tems, and Shallipopi each earned six nominations. Asake’s sophomore album Work of Art and Tems’ debut LP Born In The Wild are both nominated for Album of the Year. Tems’ Burning secured nominations for Record of the Year and Best R&B Single, while Asake’s Lonely At The Top is in the running for Song of the Year. Shallipopi’s Cast is competing for Collaboration of the Year, Rap Song of the Year, and Viewers’ Choice Award.
Seyi Vibez secured five nominations, including Record of the Year and Best Street Hop Act for Different Pattern. Davido also received five nods, thanks to his guest appearances on Kizz Daniel’s Twe Twe and Boy Pee, Hyce, and Brown Joel’s Ogechi remix.
The late Mohbad was honored with five nominations, including Song of the Year and Best Collaboration for Egwu, his hit record with Chike.
Other artists with multiple nominations include Chike, Qing Madi, and Flavour with four each. Ayo Maff, Young Jonn, Bloody Civilian, Wizard Chan, and Simi secured three nominations each. Nigerian-American rapper Wale is the most nominated foreign artist with three nods for his verse on OdumoduBlvck’s Blood On The Dancefloor.
Notably absent from this year’s nomination list is TML Vibes, who many fans expected to earn a nod.
The Headies Academy confirmed that only music materials—including singles, videos, live recordings, EPs, and albums—released and distributed across digital streaming platforms and physical media (cassettes, CDs, and vinyl) within the review period of April 1, 2023, to July 31, 2024, were considered for nomination.
The 17th Headies Awards is set to take place on April 5, 2025. It marks the first of two ceremonies scheduled for this year and will see the prestigious award show returning to Nigeria after two consecutive editions in the United States. Fans can visit the official Headies website to vote for their favorite artists.
