- The Headies Awards has made a return to Nigeria for its 17th edition after hosting two previous editions in the USA
- The organisers of Nigeria's prestigious music award show have also released the nominees for the 17th edition
- As expected, the Headies Awards' nomination list has stirred reactions from Nigerian music fans and lovers
Nigeria's prestigious music award show, Headies Awards, released the nomination list for the 17th edition on Wednesday, February 12.
Recall that two previous editions of the awards took place in the United States of America, with rapper Odumodu Blvck winning the Rookie of the Year at the 2023 Headies award.
Following the criticisms of the Nigerian awards taking place in the US, the organisers, in an announcement on Instagram said they were bringing the world back home to Nigeria.
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According to the Headies organisers, the 17th edition will take place on April 5, 2025.
The nomination list for the 17th Headies Awards was released a few days after the 67th Grammy Awards which saw Tems win the Best African Music Performance category ahead of Burna Boy, and Davido, among others.
Artistes whose songs were released between April 1, 2023, and July 31, 2024, were the ones nominated for the 17th Headies Awards.
Tems and Ayra Starr were nominated in the Best Recording of the Year and Best R&B single categories.
Odumodu Blvck bagged the most nominations on the list with a total of five, followed by Ayra Starr and Crown Uzama, aka Shallipopi, with a total of three each. Late singer Mohbad also bagged three nominations.
Below is a list of nominated artistes for the 17th Headies Awards:
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Best Recording of the Year:
TEMS – BURNING
DIFFERENT PATTERN - SEYI VIBEZ
HIGHER - BURNA BOY
LAST HEARTBREAK SONG - AYRA STARR & GIVEON
BILLIONS - SARZ FEATURING LOJAY
Rookie of the Year:
ZERRY DL
TAVES
KAESTYLES
LLONA
Producer of the Year:
SARZ – HAPPINESS
LONDON – OZEBA
MAGICSTICK – BASQUIAT
REMA/PRODUCER X/CUBEATZ/DEATZ/KILMBERBOY – HEHEHE
DIBS - DIFFERENT PATTERN
BEST R&B SINGLE
QING MADI – VISION
JOHNNY DRILLE - FOR YOU
SIMI – STRANGER
TEMS – BURNING
AYRA STARR - LAST HEARTBREAK SONG FT. GIVEON
Songwriter of the Year
SIMISOLA KOSOKO - STRANGER (SIMI)
CHIMAMANDA PEARL CHUKWUMA - VISION (QING MADI)
MICHAEL AJUMA ATTAH - CAN’T BREATHE (LLONA)
EMOSEH KHAMOFU - FAMILY MEETING (BLOODY CIVILIAN)
FUAYEFIKA MAXWELL - STAGES OF LIFE (WIZARD CHAN)
Best Rap Single
CAST FEAT ODUMODUBLVCK – SHALLIPOPPI
BLOOD ON THE DANCE FLOOR FEAT BLOODY CIVILIAN & WALE – ODUMODUBLVCK
HALLELUJAH - LADIPOE, ROZZZ & MORRELO
CANADA - MAGNITO
IJE NWOKE - JERIQ
BEST VOCAL PERFORMANCE (FEMALE)
AYRA STARR - LAST HEARTBREAK SONG
NINIOLA - LEVE
SIMI – STRANGER
LIYA – I’M DONE
TOMORROW - YEMI ALADE
MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR
CHARM - (REMA X PERLIKS X FOLARIN OLUDARE)
METAVERSE - (JYDE AJALA)
LIKE ICE SPICE - (PERLIKS & EMEKA SHINE SHINE)
OJAPIANO - (MATTMAX)
EGWU - (DIRECTOR PINK)
SHOWA - (TG OMORI)
NA MONEY – (DAMMY TWITCH)
BEST COLLABORATION
EMOTIONS - TIWA SAVAGE FEAT. ASA
BLOOD ON THE DANCE FLOOR - ODUMODUBLVCK, BLOODY CIVILIAN, AND WALE
CAST - SHALLIPOPI FT ODUMODUBLVCK
EGWU - CHIKE & MOHBAD
OLE - QING MADI & BNXN
TWE TWE REMIX – KIZZ DANIEL & DAVIDO
IDK – WIZKID FT. ZLATAN
BEST STREET-HOP ARTISTE
SEYI VIBEZ – “DIFFERENT PATTERNS”
AYO MAFF – DEALER (FT. FIREBOY DML)
SHALLIPOPI – CAST (FT. ODUMODUBLVCK)
ZHUS JDO – JOHNBULL
MOHBAD – ASK ABOUT ME
AFROBEATS SINGLE OF THE YEAR
BIG BIG THINGS - YOUNG JONN FT. KIZZ DANIEL AND SEYI VIBEZ
TWE TWE REMIX - KIZZ DANIEL
EGWU FEAT. MOHBAD – CHIKE
REMEMBER – ASAKE
OGECHI REMIX - HYCE, BOYPEE, AND BROWN JOEL FT. DAVIDO
BIG BALLER – FLAVOR
LYRICIST ON THE ROLL
MOGADISHU - A-Q
CHOCOLATE CITY CYPHER - M.I ABAGA
CHOCOLATE CITY CYPHER – BLAQBONEZ
HALLELUJAH – LADIPOE
EFELEME - ALPHA OJINI
Reactions to Headies nomination list
Legit.ng compiled some of the reactions to the Best Recording of the Year category.
para_republic said:
"@seyi_vibez Wins Even the Higher Seyi Vibes Owns It So Na 💯 He Wins This One."
chris_zouma wrote:
"Gave am too seyi abeg."
olasun270 commented:
"So dah year wey work of art and lonely at the top come out now.. Unna don forfeit dah year.. eti ya werey ooo."
ancientofdayz1 wrote:
"Headies supposed dey do like Grammys multiple persons should be able to win the award if their collaboration wins."
Why Ayra reportedly refused to attend Headies
Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that Yaw recounted how Ayra Starr, also known as Sabi Girl, refused to attend Headies Awards despite the organisers reaching out to her.
Yaw made this known while reacting to how no Nigerian musician bagged an award at the 2024 Grammys despite attending the event.
According to Yaw, Ayra Starr was in New York when Headies boss Ayo Animashaun invited her to attend and receive her award, which she refused.
Proofreading by Nkem Ikeke, journalist and copy editor at Legit.ng.
