From Viral Street Dancer To Triple Headies Nominee — Poco Lee Is Not Playing Anymore!
Some people wan tell you say Poco Lee na just “the dancing guy” wey dey hype other artists for stage. Well, the 18th Headies nominations just came out to correct that narrative real quick because Poco Lee is now a triple nominee, and this time, it’s not for his legwork.
Wahala Network don gather everything. Grab your seat.
The Three Categories
When The Headies dropped the full nominee list for its 18th edition, Poco Lee’s name showed up not once, not twice, but three times, all tied to his breakout collaboration “Hey Jago” with Shoday and Rahman Jago:
- Best Collaboration — recognizing “Hey Jago” as one of the standout team-ups of the eligibility period, sitting alongside heavyweight combinations like CKay & Mavo, Odumodublvck & Victony, and Davido & Omah Lay.
- Best Street-Hop Artiste — where Poco Lee is up against street-hop heavyweights like Seyi Vibez, Shallipopi, and Famous Pluto, a genuinely stacked category by any measure.
- Song of the Year — the big one. “Hey Jago” is competing directly with Ayra Starr’s “Hot Body,” Asake and Wizkid’s “MMS,” and Davido and Omah Lay’s “With You” for the night’s most coveted single honor.
Three nominations, one song, and a seat at the table with some of the biggest names in the industry. Not bad for a man many still primarily associate with viral dance videos.
Wait, Who Is Poco Lee Again?
For anybody who needs the recap: Poco Lee, born Iweh Pascal Odinaka in Orlu, Imo State, didn’t start out chasing music charts at all he started out as a street dancer in Lagos, building a name for himself through viral dance clips. His big break came when Zlatan Ibile spotted his talent and featured him in the era-defining hit “Zanku,” a song whose viral success was significantly boosted by Poco Lee’s dance moves and energy.
From there, the calls kept coming. He’s since danced, performed, and appeared alongside some of Nigeria’s biggest names Davido, Burna Boy, Wizkid, Tiwa Savage, Reekado Banks becoming one of the most recognizable hype men and dancers in the entire Afrobeats scene.
But “Hey Jago” changes the conversation. This isn’t Poco Lee dancing in somebody else’s video anymore — this is his own record, credited as a lead act, being recognized across performance, collaboration, and song-of-the-year categories at the country’s biggest music awards.
Why This Nomination Hits Different
See, the Headies are not known for handing out easy nominations. Song of the Year alone this edition includes some of the biggest afrobeats records of the last two years. For “Hey Jago” to be sitting in that same category, alongside a Best Collaboration and a Best Street-Hop Artiste nod, is proof that Poco Lee has successfully pulled off something a lot of hype men and dancers never manage turning stage presence into genuine musical credibility.
Nigerians on the timeline have been quick to point this out too, with many noting that this feels less like a fluke and more like the start of a real second act for him from viral dance clips to actual award-season contention.
Wahala Network’s Take
Say wetin you like about Poco Lee, but the man don show say energy fit turn into actual craft when e serious. Three nominations for one song is not a small feat, especially in categories this competitive. Whether “Hey Jago” walks away with hardware or not, Poco Lee has already won the bigger battle nobody can call him “just a dancer” again without adding “who’s also a Headies nominee” right after.
