The 9th All Africa Music Awards were held on 12 January 2026 at the Convention Centre, Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island — the third time Lagos has hosted AFRIMA, after Ghana and Senegal.
According to Vanguard's report on the night, Rema left with three: Best Male Artiste in Western Africa, Artiste of the Year, and Best African Artiste, Duo or Group in African RnB/Soul for "Calm Down". He was up against Burna Boy, Davido, Wizkid and Asake in the major categories.
He was not the only one who went home happy. Vanguard also lists Burna Boy taking Album of the Year, Shallipopi taking Song of the Year and Best Collaboration, Yemi Alade winning Best Soundtrack in a Movie, Series or Documentary, and Jux of Tanzania taking Best Male Artiste, Eastern Africa.
My honest read
I am not going to pretend a three-award night settles anything. Awards are voted, and voting is a popularity machine as much as a quality one. But there is something in the pattern worth naming: the artiste who won Artiste of the Year is 24, and the record that carried him — "Calm Down" — is years old and still working. That is not a hot streak. That is staying power arriving early.
What I would push back on is the framing that this makes Rema "bigger" than Burna, Davido or Wizkid. Album of the Year went to Burna. Song of the Year went to Shallipopi. Read the full sheet and what you actually see is a genre with no single centre any more — which, if you have been watching Nigerian music for twenty years, is the healthiest thing that could possibly happen to it.
Over to you
- Does an AFRIMA sweep change who you think is number one right now — or are awards just noise?
- Is Shallipopi taking Song of the Year the real story nobody is talking about?
- And who did the voters get badly wrong this year?
Drop it in the comments. I read them.
Reporting drawn from Vanguard's AFRIMA 2026 coverage. Opinions are mine and open to being argued with.
