The Headies Award is one of the biggest award shows in Africa and its 16th edition was held on the 3rd of September, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia, USA for the second time. The Headies Award was established in 2006; it was founded to recognize deserving talents who have performed outstandingly within a given year in review.
The 16th annual Headies Award show was met with lots of surprises and twists as many artistes like Asake, Rema, Burna Boy, and many other talented artistes went home with many awards from the categories they were nominated in. Below is a list of the categories, nominees, and the winners:
Rookie Of The Year
Odumodu Blvck (Winner)
Bayyani
Guchi
Eltee
Khaid
Best Recording Of The Year
“Alone” – Burna Boy
“Soweto” – Victony & Tempoe (Winner)
“I’m A Mess” – Omah Lay
“Ku Lo Sa” – Oxlade
“Stand Strong” – Davido Ft. Sunday Service Choir
“No Woman, No Cry” – Tems
Producer Of The Year
Magicsticks – “Sungba Remix” (Asake)
Pheelz – “Electricity” (Pheelz Ft Davido)
Andre Vibez & London – “Calm Down” (Rema)
Tempoe – “Soweto” (Victony & Tempoe)
Kel-P – “Kpe Paso” (Wande Coal & Olamide)
Rexxie – “Abracadabra” (Rexxie, Naira Marley, Skiibii & Wizkid) (Winner)
Songwriter Of The Year
Simi Kosoko, Godsfavour Chidozie, Kosoko Adekunle, Marcel Akunwata – “Loyal” (Simi) (Winner)
Stanley Didia, Adebajo Adebanjo – “I’m A Mess” (Omah Lay)
Tems, Ludwig Goransson, Robyn Rihanna Fenty, Ryan Coogler – “Lift Me Up” (Rihanna)
Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu, Austin Jnr Iornongu Iwar, Peace Oredope, Ludwig Goransson – “Alone” (Burna Boy)
Daniel Benson – “In My Mind” (Bnxn)
Fuayefika Maxwell – “Earth Song” (Wizard Chan)
Best R&B Single
“For My Hand” – Burna Boy Ft. Ed Sheeran (Winner)
“Mmadu” – Ckay
“Just 4 U” – Dami Oniru
“Red Wine” – Preye
“Hard To Find” – Chike – Ft. Flavour
“Loyal” – Simi Ft. Fave
Best Rap Single
“Hustle” – Reminisce
“Big Energy” – Ladipoe
“Back In Uni” – Blaqbonez
“Bando Diaries” – Psychoyp
“Declan Rice” – Odumodublvck (Winner)
“My Bro” – Jeriq Ft. Phyno
Best ‘Alternative’ Song
“Earth Song” – Wizard Chan
“Final Champion” – Cruel Santino
“The Traveller” – Basketmouth Ft The Cavemen
“In A Loop” – Boj Ft Moliy & Mellissa
“Game Changer” (Dike) – Flavour
“Tinko Tinko” – Obongjayar (Winner)
Best R&B Album
Home – Johnny Drille
The Brother’s Keeper – Chike (Winner)
Reckless – Praiz
Waje 2.0 – Waje
Matter Of Time – Dami Oniru
To Be Honest (Tbh) – Simi
Best Alternative Album
Horoscopes – Basketmouth
Gbagada Express – Boj (Winner)
Some Nights I Dream Of Doors – Obongjayar
Subaru Boys: Final Heaven – Cruel Santino
Heart Of The Heavenly Undeniable – Somadina
Native World – Native Sound System
Best Rap Album
Fly Talk Only – Payper Corleone
Palmwine Music Vol 3 – Show Dem Camp
Young Preacher – Blaqbonez (Winner)
Ypszn3 – Psychoyp
Teslim: The Energy Still Lives In Me – Vector
Billion Dollar Dream – Jeriq
Album Of The Year
Love, Damini – Burna Boy
Mr Money With The Vibe – Asake (Winner)
Rave And Roses – Rema
Boy Alone – Omah Lay
Outlaw – Victony
Timeless – Davido
Song Of The Year
“Calm Down” – Rema (Winner)
“Last Last” – Burna Boy
“Ku Lo Sa” – Oxlade
“Buga” – Kizz Daniel & Tekno
“Finesse” – Pheelz Ft. Bnxn
“Sungba Remix” – Asake Ft. Burna Boy
Best Female Artiste
Tems
Simi
Ayra Starr (Winner)
Tiwa Savage
Best Male Artiste
Asake
Rema (Winner)
Kizz Daniel
Ruger
Omah Lay
Burna Boy
Next Rated
Young Jonn
Seyi Vibez
Asake (Winner)
Victony
Spyro
African Artiste Of The Year
Rema (Nigeria) (Winner)
Burna Boy (Nigeria)
Marwa Loud (Morocco)
Black Sherif (Ghana)
Diamond Platnumz (Tanzania)
Best Vocal Performance (Female)
Niniola – “Memories”
Simi – “Loyal”
Waje – “In Between” (Winner)
Liya – “Adua Remix”
Preye – “Red Wine”
Dami Oniru – “Just 4 U”
Best Vocal Performance(Male)
Oxlade – “Ku Lo Sa”
Ric Hassani – “My Only Baby”
Magixx – “Love Don’t Cost A Dime”
Chike – “Spell Remix”
Praiz – “Reckless”
Wande Coal – “Kpe Paso” (Winner)
Best Music Video
Blaqbonez & Perliks – “Back In Uni”
Tg Omori – “Pbuy” (Asake)
Director Pink – “Spell Remix” (Chike & Oxlade)
Tg Omori – “Bandana” (Fireboy & Asake)
Director K – “Common Person” (Burna Boy)
Director K – “Calm Down” (Rema) (Winner)
Best Collaboration
Asake Ft. Burna Boy – “Sungba Remix”
Bnxn Ft Kizz Daniel & Seyi Vibez – “Gwagwalada”
Pheelz Ft Bnxn – “Finesse”
Spyro Ft. Tiwa Savage – “Who’s Your Guy Remix” (Winner)
Pheelz Ft Davido – “Electricity”
Wande Coal Ft. Olamide – “Kpe Paso”
Best Street-Hop Artiste
Rexxie Ft. Naira Marley & Skiibii – “Abracadabra”
Seyi Vibez – “Chance (Na Ham)” (Winner)
Asake – “Joha”
Zlatan Ft. Young Jonn – “Astalavista”
Poco Lee & Hotkid – “Otilo”
Mohbad – “Peace”
Afrobeats Single Of The Year
“Last Last” – Burna Boy (Winner)
“Rush” – Ayra Starr
“Buga” – Kizz Daniel & Tekno
“Finesse” – Pheelz Ft Bnxn
“Who’s Your Guy?” – Spyro
“Asiwaju” – Ruger
Headies’ Viewers’ Choice
Ruger – “Asiwaju”
Victony & Tempoe – “Soweto” (Winner)
Fireboy Dml & Asake – “Bandana”
Ayra Star – “Rush”
Asake – “Terminator”
Mavins – “Overloading (Overdose)”
Crayon – “Ijo (Laba Laba)”
Oxlade – “Ku Lo Sa”
Kizz Daniel & Tekno – “Buga”
Pheelz & Davido – “Electricity”
Best West African Artiste Of The Year
Gyakie (Ghana)
Black Sherif (Ghana) (Winner)
The Therapist (Liberia)
Camidoh (Ghana)
Best East African Artiste Of The Year
Zuchu
Diamond Platinumz (Winner)
Rayvanny
Eddy Kenzo
Hewan Gebreworld
Best North African Artiste Of The Year
Marwa Loud – Morocco
Wegz – Egypt
El Grande Toto – Morocco (Winner)
Soolking – Algeria
Best Southern African Artiste Of The Year
Aka (South Africa)
Nasty C – South Africa
Costa Titch – South Africa
Uncle Waffles – South Africa
Focalistic – South Africa (Winner)
Dj Tarico – Mozambique
Best Central African Artiste Of The Year
Fally Ipupa – Democratic Republic Of Congo
Gaz Mawete – Democratic Republic Of Congo
Matias Damasio – Angola
Emma’a – Gabon
Libianca – Cameroon (Winner)
International Artist Of The Year
Drake
Future
Selena Gomez (Winner)
Don Toliver
Ed Sheeran
Lyricist On The Roll
Ladipoe – “Clowns”
Vector – “Clowns”
Payper Corleone – “Fly Talk Only” (Winner)
Alpha Ojini – “Vigilante Bop”
A-Q – “Family First”
Tec (Sdc) – “Live Life”
Best Inspirational Single
“Stand Strong” – Davido Ft Sunday Service Choir
“Jireh (My Provider)” – Limoblaze, Lecrae & Happi Music
“This Year” – Victor Thompson & Ehis ‘d’ Greatest
“Eze Ebube” – Neon Adejo (Winner)
“Tobechukwu” – Nathaniel Bassey And Mercy Chinwo
“I Get Backing” – Victoria Orenze
Digital Artiste Of The Year
Burna Boy
Ayra Starr
Rema (Winner)
Omah Lay
Kizz Daniel
Asake
International Artiste Recognition
Sean ‘Love’ Comb
Hall Of Fame
Youssou N’dour
Special Recognition
Sound Sultan
Final Thoughts
The 16th edition of the Headies Award saw many artistes winning big. In this article, I went into detail on the complete list of winners of the 2023 Headies Award.
