With the 17th Headies Awards just around the corner, one of its most coveted categories—Artist of the Year—is shaping up to be the ultimate battle royale among six of Nigeria’s largest musical heavyweights: Davido, Ayra Starr, Asake, Rema, Tems, and Burna Boy.
This much-coveted and high-profile award, specially created to single out and pay tribute to the artist or group that has made the most impact and outstanding achievements in the booming Nigerian music industry for the year currently under review, has always been one of the most highly anticipated moments of the entire event.
At the historic and legendary 2023 Headies ceremony, Rema won this esteemed honour with pride, etching an unforgettable and defining moment in the annals of the 16th iteration of the awards, held in the bustling city of Atlanta.
As the current Artist of the Year, Rema is returning to defend his crown. He released his second studio album HEIS in 2024, redefining the genre. He has nine nominations in total at the Headies, the highest of any artist this year and the album also got a nod at this year’s Grammys.
Other Nominees for the ‘Artist of the Year’ award at the 17th Headies
While Rema would be looking forward to a historical night of reclaiming his awards, he faces a tough test as several other big names have been nominated in the category.
Davido
Davido is a household name in the music industry and a titan in Afrobeats. During the year in review, he had a good year musically as he was featured in some big songs that earned nominations, most notably Twe Twe remix ft Kizz Daniel.
He is one of the most successful and influential African artists, he won the Headies Artist of the Year at the Headies in 2018.
Ayra Starr
Ayra Starr had a great debut at the Headies in 2022, winning the Headies Viewers’ Choice Awards. For the 17th edition of the awards, she garnered a total of eight nominations—including the prestigious Best Recording of the Year, Best Female Vocal Performance, and Best R&B Single awards.
Her 2024 sophomore album, The Year I Turned 21, is one of the critically acclaimed albums of the year in review. With her energetic young spirit and daring fashion sense, she is actively reinventing and reconfiguring the very nature of what it takes to be a Nigerian pop star on a global level.
Asake
Asake’s meteoric rise in the music industry continued with the release of another studio album, Work of Art, during the year in review. The album features hits like Lonely at the Top, Basquiat, and Sunshine.
Following his record-breaking night in the year 2023, when he became the first artist to take home both the Next Rated award and Album of the Year award on the same night, Asake has firmly established himself as a game-changer who breaks traditional genre rules.
Tems
Tems, with her soothing vocals and genre-bending sound, has become one of Nigeria’s shining stars. Born in the Wild, her debut album was a hit during the year in review, blending R&B and Afrobeats on tracks such as “Me & U,” “Burning,” and the Grammy-winning “Love Me JeJe.”
She has become widely recognised globally by making music in the Afrobeats genre and collaborating with artists like Wizkid, Future, Davido, Tyla, and Drake. She has won the Headies Award in the Best Female Vocal Performance and has earned six nominations at this year’s edition. She is a 2x Grammy winner after claiming her second Grammy at the 2025 Grammys.
Burna Boy
Burna Boy, the African Giant is not new to the Headies Awards and has attained another milestone by receiving an Artist of the Year nomination. His 2024 single, ‘Higher’, also earned Burna Boy a nomination at the Headies for ‘Best Recording of the Year’ the song also got nominated at the 2025 Grammy Awards but lost out to Tems ‘Love Me Jeje’.
Burna Boy has a remarkable and excellent record at the prestigious Headies Award. In the 2023 edition, he won the award for Best Afrobeats Single for his hit song “Last Last,” along with the highly sought-after Album of the Year award for his 2022 album, Love, Damini.
The 17th Headies Awards, set for April 27, 2025, is shaping up to be the most competitive in years.
