LAGOS, Nigeria — FOLA leads the 18th Headies nominations with 10 nods after organisers released the 2026 list on Tuesday, August 25. The Nigerian Afro-R&B singer is nominated for Album of the Year, Next Rated and eight other awards before the ceremony scheduled for October 25 in Toronto, Canada.
The announcement gives FOLA the largest nomination total in the field. It also turns the success of his debut album catharsis into his strongest awards showing so far. Readers looking for his earlier career, real name and catalogue can visit XTRAfrica’s verified FOLA biography.
How many 2026 Headies nominations did FOLA receive? FOLA received 10 nominations for the 18th Headies. His categories include Album of the Year, Next Rated, Best Male Artiste, Best R&B Album and Digital Artiste of the Year. The ceremony is scheduled for October 25, 2026, in Toronto, Canada.
The 10 categories in FOLA’s Headies run
The official Headies nominees page lists the categories for music released during an eligibility period running from August 1, 2024, to April 30, 2026. Cross-checking that page with the detailed lists published by Channels Television and Pulse Nigeria produces 10 FOLA nominations:
Album of the Year :catharsis
Best R&B Album: catharsis
Next Rated: FOLA
Best Male Artiste:FOLA
Digital Artiste of the Year: FOLA
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FOLA Leads 2026 Headies Nominations Ahead of Toronto
Aug 26, 2026
Aug 26, 2026
5 min read
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Updated:
LAGOS, Nigeria — FOLA leads the 18th Headies nominations with 10 nods after organisers released the 2026 list on Tuesday, August 25. The Nigerian Afro-R&B singer is nominated for Album of the Year, Next Rated and eight other awards before the ceremony scheduled for October 25 in Toronto, Canada.
The announcement gives FOLA the largest nomination total in the field. It also turns the success of his debut album catharsis into his strongest awards showing so far. Readers looking for his earlier career, real name and catalogue can visit XTRAfrica’s verified FOLA biography.
How many 2026 Headies nominations did FOLA receive? FOLA received 10 nominations for the 18th Headies. His categories include Album of the Year, Next Rated, Best Male Artiste, Best R&B Album and Digital Artiste of the Year. The ceremony is scheduled for October 25, 2026, in Toronto, Canada.
The 10 categories in FOLA’s Headies run
The official Headies nominees page lists the categories for music released during an eligibility period running from August 1, 2024, to April 30, 2026. Cross-checking that page with the detailed lists published by Channels Television and Pulse Nigeria produces 10 FOLA nominations:
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Album of the Year :catharsis
Best R&B Album: catharsis
Next Rated: FOLA
Best Male Artiste:FOLA
Digital Artiste of the Year: FOLA
Best Recording of the Year: “you”
Afrobeats Single of the Year: “you”
Headies Viewers’ Choice: “you”
Songwriter of the Year: Odunlami Afolarin Temiloluwa for “who does that?”
Best Collaboration: “lost” with Kizz Daniel
The count needs care because some early coverage contains internal errors. Pulse’s opening summary says 11 nominations, but its body says 10 and its detailed categories support 10. Channels reports the correct total of 10, although one paragraph mistakenly places “you” in Song of the Year; the full list does not. XTRAfrica is therefore using the 10 categories that actually name FOLA or his work.
catharsis moves from chart success to awards contention
Two of the nominations belong directly to catharsis: Album of the Year and Best R&B Album. Apple Music lists the project as an 11-track Afrobeats album released through Dangbana Republik and EMPIRE in September 2025.
Its commercial staying power helps explain the awards attention. In February 2026, TurnTable Charts reported that catharsis had spent 14 non-consecutive weeks at No. 1 on Nigeria’s Official Albums Chart, then the longest run at the summit by a debut album. The album’s mixture of romance, struggle and emotional recovery gave FOLA a full project identity beyond his 2024 breakthrough with “alone.”
FOLA’s official website identifies him as Folarin “FOLA” Odunlami, a Lagos-based singer-songwriter working between African rhythms and R&B. That background matters to the nominations: the list recognises him not only as an album artist but also as a songwriter, collaborator, male artist, digital performer and Next Rated contender.
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The three nominations for “you” cover recording quality, Afrobeats impact and audience choice. “lost,” featuring Kizz Daniel, enters Best Collaboration, while “who does that?” places FOLA’s longer name in the songwriting category. XTRAfrica’s FOLA artist page brings his biography and future news updates together under one route.
Omah Lay, Mavo and Wizkid follow
FOLA’s 10 nominations put him ahead of Omah Lay, who received eight. Mavo and Wizkid follow with seven each, while Asake and Davido have six apiece. Ayra Starr and Tiwa Savage are among the leading women with five nominations each.
The list mixes emerging acts with established stars. FOLA and Mavo appear in Next Rated while also competing in major general categories, showing how quickly Nigeria’s newer generation has entered the centre of the awards conversation. Congolese singer Awilo Longomba is also due to receive the Headies Hall of Fame honour.
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Toronto ceremony set for October 25
The Headies says the 18th edition will take place in Toronto on October 25, 2026, under the theme “Africa to the World.” Its official event timeline confirms the date, city and eligibility window. Channels Television previously reported that organisers also plan a Lagos watch event linked to the Toronto ceremony.
The international setting gives FOLA’s nomination lead a diaspora angle. His official tour page records two Toronto performances in July, meaning the awards would bring him back to a city he has already visited during the Catharsis world tour.
Nominations are not wins, and the final results remain open until the ceremony. The immediate verified development is that FOLA leads the field with 10 nominations across album, song, performance and career categories. The next major update will be the voting process and, ultimately, the October 25 results in Toronto.
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