Nollywood Soundtracks takes centre stage at the 18th Headies Awards, unveiling Best Original Song for Visual Media Nominees. This is a non-voting category celebrating music written for feature films. It recognises music written and composed specifically for feature films, television shows, and other visual media projects.
Ayo Animashaun, founder of Hip Hop World Magazine, established The Headies Awards in 2006. Since its creation to honour artistic achievements, The Headies has expanded internationally to showcase African music, culture, and creative genius.
In 2025, Funke Akindele’s A Tribe Called Judah, comprising Abbey Wonder and TCJ, won the Soundtrack of the Year at the 17th Headies Awards, according to Punch Newspaper. This year’s 18th Headies edition introduced Best Original Song for Visual Media. Previously, awards were given under Best Soundtrack or Best Original Soundtrack, which recognised iconic movie compositions that bridged the film and music industries.
Posted on The Headies’ official account on Instagram the official nominees for the 18th Edition include a panel-evaluated category featuring four compelling tracks created for Nollywood motion pictures and television series; this list includes: The original soundtrack for the motion picture Evi, All My Love features compositions by Osas Okonyon and Abbey Wonder. Next is Behind the Scenes, a piece composed by Tolu Obanro and Funke Akindele. Save Me, from To Kill a Monkey, is created by Oscar Heman-Ackah and 2Baba. Finally, Only in Lagos, from Christmas in Lagos, is composed by WurlD and Liya.
According to the Headies website, the 18th Headies Awards will take place in Toronto, featuring a simultaneously live watch party and selected broadcast presentations hosted in Lagos, Nigeria, from October 17th-23rd, 2026.
The Inclusion of screen music categories at major global platforms like the Headies highlights how rapidly Nigerian cinema is gaining global and cross industry recognition
