Full list of nominees for Headies 2019

Submissions opened on September 21, 2019, for the 13th edition of The Headies, Nigeria’s biggest and most prestigious music prize, with this year’s outing carrying the theme ‘The Power of A Dream’.

Organisers announced the period under review as January 2018 to June 2019. The ceremony itself is scheduled to take place on October 19, 2019.

Now in its second decade, the 13th Headies will present honours across 23 categories, recognising Africa’s finest artistes.

Those categories include Best Recording of the Year; Best Pop Single; Producer of The Year; Best Rap Album; Best R&B/ Pop Album; Best Collabo; Best Rap Single; Best Vocal Performance (Male); Best Vocal Performance (Female); Next Rated; Hip Hop World Revelation; and Lyricist on The Roll.

Completing the roster are Best Street-Hop Artiste; Album of The Year; Artiste of The Year; Song of The Year; African Artiste Recognition; Headies’ Viewer’s Choice; Industry Brand Supporter; Best Performer; Songwriter of The Year; Rookie of The Year; Special Recognition; and Hall of Fame.

When the call for entries was issued, 29 categories were advertised. By the time the nominees were made public, the number had fallen to 23. Best Reggae/Dancehall, Best Alternative Album, Best R&B Single, Best Songwriter and two others were dropped from the list.

At the previous edition, Olamide led the field with 10 nominations. Tuface followed on 7, Wizkid on 6, while Davido and Clarence Peters each picked up 4.

1. BEST RECORDING OF THE YEAR

A non-voting category honouring the finest recording of the eligibility period, measured against the panel’s standards of excellence in songwriting, production and rendition, from a solo artiste or a group.

1. Adekunle Gold – Ire
2. Patoranking – Heal D World
3. Brymo – Olanrewaju
4. Teni – Uyo Meyo
5. Burna Boy – Ye

2. BEST POP SINGLE

A category for the strongest pop single of the period under review, whether from a solo artiste or a group.

1. ‘Ye’ – Burna Boy
2. ‘Wetin We Gain’ – Victor AD
3. ‘Fake Love’ – Starboy ft Duncan Mighty, Wizkid
4. ‘Case’ – Teni
5. ‘Jealous’ – Fireboy DML
6. ‘Baby’ – Joeboy

3. PRODUCER OF THE YEAR

Recognises the individual behind the most acclaimed song or album of the eligibility year.

1. Phantom – ‘Ye’ by Burna Boy
2. Ozedikus – ‘Dumebi’ by Rema
3. Spellz – ‘Askamaya’ by Teni
4. Killertunes – ‘Fake Love’ by Starboy ft Duncan Mighty and Wizkid
5. Kel-P Vibes – ‘Killing Dem’ by Burna Boy ft Zlatan

4. BEST RAP ALBUM

A non-voting category reserved for the strongest rap album of the period, from a solo rapper or a group.

1. ‘Moral Instruction’ – Falz
2. ‘Crown’ – AQ and Loose Kaynon
3. ‘A Study On Self Worth: Yxng Dxnzl’ – M.I Abaga
4. ‘Clone Wars, Vol. IV (These Buhari Times)’ – Show Dem Camp

5. BEST R&B/ POP ALBUM

A category for the best R&B/pop album released during the period under review, by an individual act or a group.

1. uncommon. – Odunsi (The Engine)
2. Outside – Burna Boy
3. No Bad Songz – Kizz Daniel
4. Mayor of Lagos – Mayorkun
5. About 30 – Adekunle Gold

6. BEST MUSIC VIDEO

A voting category that rewards the most creative, best-directed and most entertaining video of the eligibility period. The trophy is presented to the video director.

1. ‘Dangote’ (Burna Boy) – Clarence Peters
2. ‘Available’ (Patoranking) – Clarence Peters
3. ‘Ire’ (Adekunle Gold) – Aje Films
4. ‘Talk’ (Falz) – Prodigeezy
5. ‘Jaiye’ (Ladipoe) – 88 Factor

7. BEST R&B SINGLE

A category for the finest R&B single of the period under review, from an individual act or a group.

1. ‘Tipsy’ – Odunsi ft. RAYE
2. ‘Serenade’ – Funbi
3. ‘Uyo Meyo’ – Teni
4. ‘Wishes and Butterflies’ – Wurld
5. ‘Gimme Love’ – Seyi Shay ft. Runtown

8. BEST COLLABO

A voting category for the strongest R&B, pop or hip-hop collaboration, cameos included.

1. ‘Like’ – Reekado Banks Ft. Tiwa Savage, Fiokee
2. ‘One Ticket’ – Kiss Daniel ft. Davido
3. ‘Fake Love’ – Starboy ft Duncan Mighty, Wizkid
4. ‘Killin’ Dem’ – Burna Boy Ft. Zlatan
5. ‘Amaka’ – 2baba Ft. Peruzzi

9. BEST RAP SINGLE

A voting category for a rap single that received an on-air release.

1. ‘Talk’ – Falz
2. ‘We Don’t Do That Over Here’ – Hotyce
3. ‘40ft Container’ – Illbliss ft. Olamide
4. ‘Sacrifice’ – Payper Corleone Ft. Alpha Ojini
5. ‘Gang Gang’ – AQ and Loose Kaynon

10. BEST VOCAL PERFORMANCE(MALE)

A non-voting category for the male act whose vocal work on a single song or album was the most outstanding.

1. Tay Iwar – ‘Utero’
2. Johnny Drille – ‘Finding Efe’
3. Nonso Bassey – ‘411’
4. Funbi – ‘Serenade’
5. Wurld – ‘Wishes & Butterfly’

11. BEST VOCAL PERFORMANCE (FEMALE)

A non-voting category for the female act whose vocal work on a single song or album was the most outstanding.

1. GoodGirl LA – ‘Bless me’
2. Waje – ‘Udue’
3. Teni – ‘Uyo Meyo’
4. Tems – ‘Mr Rebel’
5. Falana – ‘Repeat’

12. NEXT RATED

A voting category for the most promising act of the eligibility period.

1. Rema
2. Joeboy
3. Fireboy DML
4. Victor AD
5. Lyta
6. Zlatan

13. HIP HOP WORLD REVELATION

A voting category for the best new artiste, whose debut album was judged outstanding for creative quality and impact during the period under review.

1. Odunsi
2. Mayorkun
3. Wurld
4. Humblesmith

14. LYRICIST ON THE ROLL

A non-voting category for the rapper with the greatest lyrical depth and performance on a single song or album.

1. YCEE – ‘Balance’
2. Boogey – ‘Implode’
3. Paybac – ‘Implode’
4. Ghost – ‘Crown’
5. Tec – ‘Crown’
6. AQ – ‘Crown’

15. BEST STREET-HOP ARTISTE

A voting category for the artiste whose songs draw on street life. Such a track should carry slang, which may be coined by the artiste himself and is common on the road.

1. Erigga – ‘Motivation’
2. Chinko Ekun – ‘Able God’
3. Zlatan – ‘Leg Work’
4. Barry Jhay – ‘Aiye’
5. Lyta – ‘Time’

16. BEST ‘ALTERNATIVE’ SONG

A voting category for the artiste whose songs reflect any form or style of music falling outside the mainstream of current or past popular trends.

1. ‘Cash’ – Lady Donli
2. ‘Mr Rebel’ – Tems
3. ‘Finding Efe’ – Johnny Drille
4. ‘Heya’ – Brymo
5. ‘Ire’ – Adekunle Gold

17. ALBUM OF THE YEAR

A voting category for the best album of the period under review, by a solo act or a group, meeting the panel’s standards of excellence in songwriting, production, rendition and impact.

1. About 30 – Adekunle Gold
2. Outside – Burna Boy
3. Moral Instruction – Falz
4. No Bad Songz – Kizz Daniel

18. ARTISTE OF THE YEAR

The act judged the most critically and commercially outstanding of the period under review — overall, the year’s most successful artiste.

1. Burna Boy
2. Wizkid
3. Davido
4. Tiwa Savage
5. Falz

19. SONG OF THE YEAR

A voting category for the most popular song of the eligibility period.

1. ‘Ye’ – Burna Boy
2. ‘Dumebi’ – Rema
3. ‘Wetin We Gain’ – Victor AD
4. ‘Fake Love’ – Starboy ft Duncan Mighty, Wizkid
5. ‘Case’ – Teni
6. ‘Leg work’ – Zlatan
7. ‘Baby’ – Joeboy
8. ‘Jealous’ – Fireboy DML

20. AFRICAN ARTISTE RECOGNITION

A category restricted to non-Nigerians, for an individual African artiste or group with the most outstanding achievement, impact and penetration into the Nigerian music scene during the period under review.

1. Master KG – Skeleton Moves (SOUTH AFRICA)
2. Afro B – Drogba (Joanna) (IVORY COAST)
3. Sauti Sol – Melanin (KENYA)
4. King Promise – CCTV (GHANA)
5. DJ Maphoriza – iWalk Ye Phara (SOUTH AFRICA)

21. HEADIES’ VIEWER’S CHOICE

A voting category that rewards the fans’ favourite act with the greatest digital traction — downloads, views and streams — during the period under review.

1. Mr Eazi
2. Burna Boy
3. Teni
4. Fireboy DML
5. Rema
6. Joe Boy
7. Wizkid
8. Davido

22. BEST PERFORMER

A non-voting category for artistes whose stagecraft, showmanship and performance routines were exceptionally conceived and executed in the period under review, with live shows taken into account.

1. Falz
2. Tiwa Savage
3. Brymo
4. Yemi Alade
5. Adekunle Gold

23. ROOKIE OF THE YEAR:

A voting category for the newcomer who enjoyed a successful musical year without releasing an album during the period under review.

1. Crayon
2. Buju
3. Barry Jhay
4. Oxlade

Source: Pulseng