Tag: Ayra Starr

The MOBO Awards 2026 took place on March 26, 2026, at the Co-op Live Arena in Manchester, marking a 30th anniversary for one of the most influential celebrations of Black music and culture.

The night was dominated by Olivia Dean, who emerged as the biggest winner, securing three of the most important awards (Best Female Act, Album of the Year, and Song of the Year). 

Alongside the night’s biggest wins, Wizkid reached a historic milestone, becoming the most awarded African artist in MOBO Awards history with seven wins, following his victory in the Best African Music Act category.

Other major winners included Central Cee, RAYE, and FLO, highlighting a strong showing for UK talent across multiple categories. 

See Full Winners and Nominees List

Major Categories – Nominees & Winners

Best Male Act

Central Cee
Dave
Fireboy DML
Headie One
Jim Legxacy (Winner)

Best Female Act

Ayra Starr
FLO
Jorja Smith
Justine Skye
Olivia Dean (Winner)

Album of the Year

Back to the World – Dave
CLB – Central Cee
Frames – FLO
The Art of Loving – Olivia Dean (Winner)
Voyager – Wizkid

Song of the Year

Baby Steps – Ayra Starr
Come Closer – Wizkid ft. Drake
Energy – FLO
Man I Need – Olivia Dean (Winner)
Sunset – Fireboy DML

Best Newcomer

Aylø
Ayra Starr
BackRoad Gee
DC3
Maceo
DC3 (Winner)

Video of the Year

Ain’t Safe – Ayra Starr
Come Closer – Wizkid ft. Drake
Energy – FLO
Man I Need – Olivia Dean
Where Is My Husband! – RAYE (Winner)

Genre Categories – Nominees & Winners

Best Hip‑Hop Act

Central Cee (Winner)
Dave
Headie One
Knucks
Unknown T

Best R&B / Soul Act

Ayra Starr
FLO (Winner)
Jorja Smith
Tems
Victoria Monét

Best Jazz Act

Alfa Mist
Ezra Collective (Winner)
Nubya Garcia
Sons of Kemet
Theon Cross

Best Gospel Act

DC3 ((Winner)
Guvna B
Joel Amadi
Limoblaze
Preye Odede

Best Alternative Music Act

Black Midi
EVERGIB
Georgia
Nova Twins (Winner)
Smerz

Best Grime Act

AJ Tracey
Chip (Winner)
Frisco
Wiley
Yungen

Best Drill Act

Headie One
Kay Flock
M1llionz
Unknown T
Twin S (Winner) 

Best Electronic Act

Bicep
Fred Again..
Jamie xx
Peggy Gou
Sherelle (Winner) 

Regional & International Categories – Nominees & Winners

Best International Act

Cardi B
Gunna
Kehlani
Lizzo
Ayra Starr (Winner)

Best African Music Act

Ayra Starr
Burna Boy
Davido
Rema
Wizkid (Winner)

Wizkid has made history as the African artist with the most MOBO Awards, earning a total of seven wins across multiple categories and years.

His MOBO Awards include:
2011 – Best African Act
2016 – Best African Act
2017 – Best International Act
2020 – Best African Act
2021 – Best… pic.twitter.com/N2IKn30iCt

— Music on Streamdorm 🎧 (@Streamdorm) March 26, 2026

Best Caribbean Music Act

Beenie Man
Buju Banton
Shenseea
Spice
Vybz Kartel (Winner)

Media & Performance Categories – Nominees & Winners

Best Media Personality

Big Zuu
Charlamagne Tha God
Niko Omilana (Winner)
Sidemen
Tiffany Calver

Best Performance in a TV Show / Film

Damson Idris
Lashana Lynch
Letitia Wright
Tosin Cole
Stephen Graham (Winner)

Technical & Honour Categories – Nominees & Winners

Best Producer

P2J (Winner)
Sarz
Teniola Apata
Jimmy Napes
Don Jazzy

MOBO Lifetime Achievement Award- Slick Rick

MOBO Global Songwriter Award- Pharrell Williams

The 2026 MOBO Awards nomination list has officially been revealed, spotlighting the biggest names across Black music and culture  and African artists, particularly Nigerians, are once again at the center of global recognition.

Among the headline moments is Rema’s nomination for Best African Music Act, placing the Afrobeats star alongside heavyweights like Wizkid, Davido, Ayra Starr, and Tiwa Savage in one of the ceremony’s most competitive categories.

The awards ceremony is scheduled to hold later this year in Manchester, United Kingdom, continuing MOBO’s tradition of celebrating music of Black origin across the UK, Africa, the Caribbean, and the global diaspora.

Nigeria dominates the Best African Music Act nominations, reinforcing the country’s sustained influence on the global Afrobeats movement.

Best African Music Act – Nominees

• Adekunle Gold (Nigeria)
• Ayra Starr (Nigeria)
• Davido (Nigeria)
• Joshua Baraka (Uganda)
• Moliy (Ghana)
• Rema (Nigeria)
• Shallipopi (Nigeria)
• Tiwa Savage (Nigeria)
• Tyla (South Africa)
• Wizkid (Nigeria)

Major Categories: Full List of Nominees

Best Male Act

• Central Cee
• Elmiene
• Jim Legxacy
• Nemzzz
• Odeal
• Skepta

Best Female Act

• FLO
• kwn
• Little Simz
• Olivia Dean
• PinkPantheress
• Sasha Keable

Album of the Year

• Central Cee – Can’t Rush Greatness
• Ezra Collective – Dance, No One’s Watching
• FLO – Access All Areas
• Kojey Radical – Don’t Look Down
• Little Simz – Lotus
• Olivia Dean – The Art of Loving

Song of the Year

• AJ Tracey ft. Jorja Smith – “Crush”
• Donae’o ft. Omar, Lemar & House Gospel Choir – “Nights Like This”
• Fred Again, Skepta & Plaqueboymax – “Victory Lap”
• Jim Legxacy & Dave – “3X”
• kwn – “Do What I Say”
• Myles Smith – “Nice To Meet You”
• Olivia Dean – “Man I Need”
• PinkPantheress – “Illegal”
• Raye – “Where Is My Husband!”
• Tim Duzit – “Kat Slater”

Best Newcomer

• DC3Es
• DeeKid
• Finessekid
• Jim Legxacy
• kwn
• namesbliss
• Nia Smith 
• Sekou
• Skye Newman
• YT

International & Diaspora Representation

Best International Act

• Ayra Starr
• Cardi B
• Clipse
• Gunna
• Kehlani
• Leon Thomas
• Mariah The Scientist
• Moliy
• Tyla
• Vybz Kartel

Best Caribbean Music Act

• Ayetian
• Lila Iké
• Masicka
• Shenseea
• Vybz Kartel
• Yung Bredda

Music Beyond Charts: Performance, Media & Production

The 2026 nominations also recognize excellence beyond music releases, with categories spanning film, television, media personalities, production, and genre-specific innovation.

Notable nominees include Damson Idris, Cynthia Erivo, Stephen Graham, Little Simz, Ezra Collective, and Inflo, highlighting MOBO’s broad cultural scope.

Making it to Complex’s top album of 2024 ahead of Gunna, Charlie XcX, Glorilla, J.Cole, and Kanye West (Ye) are part of Nigeria’s greatest music talent exports, Tems and Ayra Starr.

Sitting at number 14 is Tems ‘Born in the Wild, and Ayra Starr’s ‘The Year I Turned 21’ is at number 12.

14. Tems, Born in the Wild

Released on the 7th of June, in the article it was stated “But even when Tems was behind the scenes, she faced betrayal and growing pains, which tested the resilience that encapsulates her storytelling on Born In the Wild. She flawlessly makes a 1997 Seyi Sodimu staple her own on the amorous track “Love Me JeJe.” Elsewehere, she looks for a bad boy who can match her freak over the rhythmic acoustics of “Gangsta.” And she comes to grips with her regret of becoming a romantic avoidant when confronted by collaborator J. Cole on “Free Fall.” Tems gets real with her internal struggles and doesn’t run from herself.“

12. Ayra Starr, The Year I Turned 21

Ayra Starr is described as: “She doesn’t mince her words on opener “Birds Sing of Money,” popping off saucy lines like “I don’t watch my tone ’cause I like how I sound, bitch,” because time is, well, money. When social media tried to instigate a feud between Starr and Grammy winner Coco Jones, they joined each other and Brazilian artist Anitta on the feminist war cry “Woman Commando.” As sultry as she is sharp, Starr takes control on 21. It’s only up from here.“

Read the full article here.

Your only excuse should be that you’re on a remote island with no access to the internet and don’t notice the wave of new talents in the Nigerian music industry. The wave is led by those I will consider the latest Big 4, starring Ayra Starr, Asake, Rema, and Tems. These talents have well-crafted and mastered the art of making good music, and it’s high time they get their flowers.

The Rolling Stone’s 2024 Top Albums List, released on Monday, features Rema’s ‘Heis,’ Tems’ ‘Born in the Wild,’ and Ayra Starr’s ‘The Year I Turned 21.’

Ranking them, we have:

Rema’s second studio album, ‘Heis,‘ was ranked 11th overall. The album recently received a Grammy nomination for Best Global Album Performance.

Description: “Rema has taken to calling his own style of Afrobeats “Afro-rave,” in the tradition of Burna Boy and the like who have fought to differentiate themselves from what became a catchall for African music in general. Yet, there was no real sonic signifier for Rema’s Afro-wave — he seamlessly traverses hip-hop, house, R&B, and dancehall. Heis sounds more like a rave than almost anything Rema has made prior (excluding the excellent loosey “Bounce,” for example, raging while everything else simmers. The result is the buzzy, visceral, sweat-it-out music that no one else in the mainstream is making.”

Tems’ debut album, ‘Born in the Wild,‘ ranked 37th overall. Tems, whose voice is captivating, earned Grammy nominations for both ‘Best African Music Performance’ and ‘Best Global Music Album.’

Description: “Tems has already remade Nigerian pop in her own image. Her debut album measures the soul work it’s taken to get here. All of it has paid off on an album so rich that the listening experience is a physical one as much as it is emotional. “Wickedest” is primed for the dance floor, while the single “Love Me Jeje” is a masterpiece, soaked in the sun and major-key dopamine. Her vision is made timeless via a seamless blend of stripped-down ballads, the cool of 1990s R&B with flecks of SWV and Sade, joyous high life, Afro-dance music like amapiano, and rugged hip-hop.”

Ayra Starr’s sophomore album, ‘The Year I Turned 21,′ ranked 53rd on the list according to Rolling Stone.

Rolling Stone describes it as:
“With the follow-up to her 2021 debut, Ayra Starr asserts a musical maturity that could be considered far beyond her years, but perhaps more aptly serves as a reminder of the emotional depth, logical prowess, and enviable passion young people often possess. Across it, Starr refreshes tried-and-true Afrobeats elements with the type of songwriting that SZA fans flock to, darting between Nigerian Pidgin, Yoruba, and English with endless finesse and attitude in all three languages.”

I, for one, am glad for the recognition of Nigerian musical talents on a global stage, and this should continue for a long time. Last year the list featured legends like Mr. Eazi, Burna Boy, Adekunle Gold, and Asake.