Full list of 2022 Headies Award nominees

Last updated May 24, 2022

The full list of nominees for the 15th edition of The Headies Awards which is scheduled to take place on the 2nd of July 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia USA.

The founder and Executive Producer Ayo Animashaun announced that this years Headies will be leaving the shores of Nigeria.

See the full 2022 Headies nomination;
ROOKIE of the year:
1. AV
2. FAVE
3. MAGIXX
4. PORTABLE
5. UGOCCIE

Best recording of the year:
1. “CELEBRATE ME” – PATORANKING
2. “ESSENCE” – WIZKID FEAT. TEMS
3. “JOY” – FALANA
4. “LOVING IS HARDER” – JOHNNY DRILLE
5. “MEJI MEJI” – BRYMO
6. “SOMEBODY’S SON” – TIWA SAVAGE FEAT. BRANDY

Producer of the year:
1. BEATS BY JAYY – “GOLDEN” (A-Q)
2. BLAISE BEATZ – “SINNER” (ADEKUNLE GOLD FEAT. LUCKY DAYE)
3. NIPHKEYS – “FEEL GOOD” (MOHBAD)
4. P PRIIME – “OZUMBA MBADIWE” (REEKADO BANKS)
5. PHEELZ – “HIGH” (ADEKUNLE GOLD FEAT. DAVIDO)
6. SARZ – “MONALISA” (LOJAY & SARZ)

Best R&B single:
1. “BABY RIDDIM” – FAVE
2. “BEGGIE BEGGIE” – AYRA STARR FEAT. CKAY
3. “ESSENCE” – WIZKID FEAT. TEMS
4. “RUNNING (TO YOU)” – CHIKE FEAT. SIMI
5. “PROMISE” – NINIOLA
6. “SINNER” – ADEKUNLE GOLD FEAT. LUCK DAYE

Songwriter of the year:
1. ADEKUNLE GOLD – “SINNER”
2. AJEBO HUSTLERS – “LOYALTY”
3. BRYMO – “MEJI MEJI”
4. FALANA – “JOY”
5. FIREBOY DML – “PERU”
6. OMAH LAY – “UNDERSTAND”

Best Rap Single:
1. “BREATHE” – A-Q FEAT CHIKE
2. “CROWN OF CLAY” – VECTOR & MI ABAGA FEAT. PHEELZ
3. “EARLY MOMO” – VECTOR FEAT. GOODGIRL LA
4. “FEELING” – LADIPOE FEAT. BNXN
5. “TYCOON” – SHOW DEM CAMP FEAT. REMINISCE & MOJO
6. “LOADING” – OLAMIDE FEAT BAD BOY TIMZ

Best ‘Alternative’ song:
1. “DOINGS” – FLAVOUR
2. “FREE YOUR MIND” – MADE KUTI
3. “GONTO” – IBEJII
4. “HUSTLE” – BASKETMOUTH, THE CAVEMEN, BEZ, DICE AILES
5. “MEJI MEJI” – BRYMO
6. “SELENSE” – THE CAVEMEN

Best Vocal performance female:
1. AYRA STARR – “TOXIC”
2. LIYA – “ALARI”
3. NINIOLA – “6TH HEAVEN”
4. SIMI – “RUNNING (TO YOU)”
5. TEMS – “ESSENCE”
6. WAJE – “LAST TIME”

Best vocal performance male :
1. BRYMO – “MEJI MEJI”
2. JOHNNY DRILLE – “LOVING IS HARDER”
3. OXLADE – “OJUJU”
4. RIC HASSANI – “WHEN I’M GONE”
5. TAY IWAR – “PEAKING”

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

Best collaboration:
1. “BEGGIE BEGGIE” – AYRA STARR FEAT. CKAY
2. “BLING” – BLAQBONEZ FEAT. AMAARAE & BNXN
3. “EARLY MOMO” – VECTOR FEAT. GOODGIRL LA
4. “ESSENCE” – WIZKID FEAT. TEMS
5. “FEELING” – LADIPOE FEAT. BNXN
“RUNNING (TO YOU)” – CHIKE FEAT. SIMI

Best Street Hop artiste:
1. BELLA SHMURDA – “CASH APP” FEAT. ZLATAN & LINCOlN
2. REXXIE & MOHBAD – “KPK”
3. MOHBAD – “FEEL GOOD”
4. NAIRA MARLEY – “KOLEYEWON”
5. NEKTUNEZ & GOYA MENOR – “AMENO AMAPIANO (REMIX)”
6. POCO LEE, PORTABLE & OLAMIDE – “ZAZOO ZEHH”

Best Afrobeats single of the year:
1. “BLOODY SAMARITAN” – AYRA STARR
2. “BOUNCE” – RUGER
3. “HIGH” – ADEKUNLE GOLD (adekunlegold ) FEAT. DAVIDO
4. “MONALISA” – LOJAY & SARZ
5. “OZUMBA MBADIWE” – REEKADO BANKS
“PERU” – FIREBOY DML

Headies ‘viewers choice:
1. AYRA STARR – “BLOODY SAMARITAN”
2. FIREBOY – “PERU”
3. JOEBOY – “SIP”
4. LOJAY & SARZ – “MONALISA”
5. NEKTUNEZ & GOYA MENOR – “AMENO AMAPIANO (REMIX)”
6. OLAMIDE FEAT. OMAH LAY – “INFINITY”
7. REMA – “SOUNDGASM”
8. WIZKID FEAT. TEMS – “ESSENCE”

Best West African Artiste of the year:
1. AMAARAE (GHANA)
2. ANGELIQUE KIDJO (BENIN)
3. AYA NAKAMURA (MALI)
4. GYAKIE (GHANA)
5. KIDI (GHANA)
6. NELSON FREITAS (CAPE VERDE)

Best East African Artiste of the Year:
1. DIAMOND PLATINUMZ (TANZANIA)
2. EDDY KENZO (UGANDA)
3. HARMONIZE (TANZANIA)
4. MEDDY (RWANDA)
5. NIKITA KERING (KENYA)
6. ZUCHU (TANZANIA)

Best North African Artiste of the Year:
1. EMEL MATHLOUTHI (TUNISIA)
2. ELGRANDETOTO (MOROCCO)
3. LATIFA (TUNISIA)
4. MANAL (MOROCCO)
5. MUHAMAD RAMADAN (EGYPT)
6. SOOLKING (ALGERIA)

Best Southern African Artiste of the Year:
1. BLACK COFFEE (SOUTH AFRICA)
2. DJ TARICO (MOZAMBIQUE)
3. ELAINE (SOUTH AFRICA)
4. FOCALISTIC (SOUTH AFRICA)
5. JAH PRAYZAH (ZIMBABWE)
6. SHA SHA (ZIMBABWE)

Best Afrobeats Album:
1. 19 & dangerous – Ayra Starr
2. A better time – Davido
3. Barnabas – kizz Daniel
4. Made in Lagos (deluxe) – Wizkid
5. KPOS freestyle – Akron hustlers
6. Wonderland – Teni

Best Reggae & Dancehall Album:
1. Gratitude – Timaya
2. Love is war – petty boy D-O
3. Rainbow riddim – shank
4. Three – Patranking
5. Yardman king size – Yung L

Best R&B album:
1. Before we fall asleep – Johnny Drille
2. If orange was a place – Tems
3. Love deep high life – Omawumi
4. Rising – Falana
5. The prince I came – Ric Hassani
6. Water & Garri – Tiwa Savage

Best Alternative album:
1. 9: Esan – Brymo
2. Intermission- Ibejii
3. Legacy- Femi Kuti & made Kuti
4. Love and highlight – The cavemen
5. P.S Thank you for waiting – wavy the creator
6. Yabasi – basketmouth

Best Rap Album:
1. Carpe Diem – Olamide
2. Clone wars vol. 5- the algorithm- show dem camp
3. Golfers – A- Q
4. Mafia culture vol 2.0- Idowest
5. Providence – Ladipo
6. Sex over love – Blaqbonez

Album of the year:
1. 9:Esen – Brymo
2. 19 & Dangerous – Ayra Starr
3. Carpe Diem – Olamide
4. Legacy – Femi Kuti & Made Kuti
5. Made in Lagos (deluxe edition) Wizkid
6. Yabasi Basketmouth

Song of the year:
1. Celebration Time – partonaking
2. Doings – Flavour ft Phyno
3. Essence – Wizkid get Tems
4. High- Adekunle Gold ft Davido
5. Monalisa – Lojay & SARZ
6. Peru – Fireboy

Best femal artiste:
1. Simi
2. Tems
3. Tiwa savage
4. Teni
5. Niniola

Best Male Artiste:
1. Adekunle Gold
2. Burna boy
3. Davido
4. Flavour
5. Olamide
6. Wizkid

Next Rated:
1. Ayra Starr
2. BNXN
3. Lojay
4. Ruger
5. Zinoleesky

African music artiste of the year:
1. Black coffee (South Africa)
2. Burna boy ( Nigeria)
3. Davido (Nigeria)
4. Diamond platinumz( Tanzania)
5. Spooking (Algeria)
6. Aya Nakamura (Mali)
7. Wizkid (Nigeria)

International artiste recognition:
1. Wyclef Jean
2. Akon
3. Diddy

Special recognition
1. Efe Omorogbe
2. Boss Ogulu
3. Sunday Are

Hall of Fame:
Angelique kidjo

Lyricist on the roll:
1. The last cypher – A-Q
2. The last cypher – Blaqbonez
3. Vipers – Jesse Jagz
4. Providence – Ladipo
5. In don we trust – payper corlenoe
6. Crown of Clay – vector

Humanitarian award of the year:
1. 2face
2. Rugged man
3. Davido
4. Don Jazzy

Best Central African artiste of the year:
1. Calema – (Sao Tome & Principe)
2. Soraia Ramos (Cape verde)
3. Fally Ipupa (Dr Congo)
4. Dadji (Dr Congo)
5. Blanche Bailly (Cameron)
6. Innoss’B (Dr Congo)

Oluchi.O/Stephanie Ingbian