Mr Viral
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Nigeria has made history at the 2025 All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA), recording its biggest-ever representation since the award’s inception. With nominees spread across nearly every major category, from Album of the Year to Song of the Year and Artist of the Year, Nigerian stars are present in the most and major categories.
Burna Boy and Davido are tied at the top with five nominations each, proving once again why they’re considered to be in Nigeria’s Afrobeats “Big 3” currently.
Both superstars are going head-to-head in the biggest categories: “Album of the Year” (No Sign Of Weakness) and (Five). Notably, Burna Boy’s “Update” and Davido’s “With You” featuring Omah Lay are both fighting for the “Song of the Year” category. But here’s where it gets interesting: both artists have serious AFRIMA history. Burna Boy has five AFRIMA wins under his belt, while Davido has collected five awards too.
However, this year could be the tiebreaker that settles who truly rules African music. However, the veterans aren’t the only ones making waves. Shallipopi, the street-pop star from Benin state, taking Nigeria by storm, shocked everyone with four nominations, including “Artist of the Year”. His hit song “Laho” is up for “Song of the Year”, putting him directly against Burna Boy and Davido. Not bad for someone who was barely known two years ago.
Meanwhile, Asake, who won Breakout Artist in 2023 after his incredible run in 2022, is back with “Uhh Yeah” nominated for Song of the Year. Similarly, Nigerian women are also representing strong. Ayra Starr grabbed two nominations, continuing her hot streak after becoming a global sensation. While she may not have AFRIMA wins yet, she’s building momentum that could pay off this year.
What makes 2025 special is the Nigerian artists’ dominance in AFRIMA’s top categories. With Burna Boy, Davido, Shallipopi, Asake, and even Wizkid (with “Kese”) all nominated for Song of the Year, Nigeria could sweep the entire category. Additionally, Rema, with his three nominations, is also looking to add to his two AFRIMA wins from 2023, where he took home Song of the Year for “Calm Down” and “Best West African Artist”.
The timing couldn’t be better either. AFRIMA 2025 is coming home to Lagos from November 25-30, giving Nigerian artists a massive home advantage. Imagine Burna Boy or Davido winning Album of the Year in front of their home crowd, of course, without a doubt, the energy will be electric.
Furthermore, public voting opens September 10 on the official AFRIMA website and closes November 29, just one day before the main ceremony on November 30. That means Nigerian fans have the power to push their favorites over the line.
With all this Nigerian dominance, the big question is which Nigerian artists will win biggest. Will the veterans Burna Boy and Davido maintain their throne? Can Shallipopi pull off the upset of the year? Or will someone like Rema or Asake surprise everyone? One thing is certain: November 30 in Lagos will be a very good night to be a Nigerian music fan.
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