BNXN and producer Sarz have won Song of the Year at AFRIMMA 2026 for their collaboration, “Back Outside,” giving the pair one of the biggest honours from the African music awards’ return after a two-year break.
The award was presented at the 2026 AFRIMMA Awards and Music Festival in Dallas, Texas, on September 12. AFRIMMA’s official platform lists BNXN and Sarz as the winners of the Song of the Year category. The victory gives the Nigerian duo a major recognition in a competitive year for African music.
‘Back Outside’ Turns Collaboration Into a Major Win
Released in 2026, “Back Outside” brought together BNXN’s vocals and Sarz’s production on a record built around the singer’s return to the spotlight.
The song is part of their collaborative project, The Game Needs Us, and its success shows the strength of their partnership beyond a single producer-artist collaboration. The track is also available on Spotify, where it is credited to BNXN and Sarz.
Rather than relying on a long list of features, the project puts the chemistry between two Nigerian music creatives at the centre.
That makes the Back Outside Song of the Year win significant for both artists, particularly Sarz, whose role behind the sound is receiving the same major-stage recognition as BNXN’s performance.
AFRIMMA Returns With Nigerian Stars Leading
The AFRIMMA 2026 winners come from an edition that marked the awards’ return after a two-year hiatus. Organisers expanded the event into a music festival in Dallas, adding performances, food, fashion and other cultural attractions to the awards programme.
Nigeria also had a strong presence across the nominations, with Davido entering the ceremony as the most-nominated artist with five nominations. Davido ultimately won Album of the Year for 5IVE, giving Nigeria another major victory on the night.
A Strong Moment for Nigerian Music
For BNXN and Sarz, the award adds another important milestone to The Game Needs Us era.
It also reinforces the growing importance of producer-artist partnerships in Afrobeats. While singers often receive most of the attention, Sarz’s Song of the Year win shows how production and vocal identity can work together to create an award-winning record.
With BNXN and Sarz winning Song of the Year at AFRIMMA 2026, “Back Outside” now has one of the strongest award credentials among Nigerian songs released this year.
