Tyla performing at the 2026 Montreux Jazz Festival. Photo by Janeirohy, cropped (CC BY-SA)
The Soul Train Awards are back after a year off, and they went home to do it. The show taped last week in Chicago, the city where Don Cornelius launched Soul Train more than 50 years ago, with Chaka Khan receiving the Classic Soul Honor, according to Deadline. It airs Friday, Nov. 27, at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
Key Takeaways
- Anthony Anderson hosts. The show airs on BET and, for the first time, simulcasts on CBS, plus BET Her, VH1, MTV2 and Logo.
- Chaka Khan gets the Classic Soul Honor, Durand Bernarr the Soul Personified Honor and Elmiene the New Soul Honor.
- For the first time, fans decided two categories: R&B/Soul Song of the Year and Spotify’s RNB X International Artist.
- Tems is the only artist nominated in both fan-voted races. Tyla’s “Chanel” is also up for Song of the Year.
The Full Story
BET put the franchise on hiatus last year, then revived it with a new name (dropping “Music” from Soul Train Music Awards) and Spotify as its streaming partner. Jesse Collins Entertainment is producing again, per BET’s announcements and Complex.
The fan-voted R&B/Soul Song of the Year field is stacked: Brent Faiyaz’s “Butterflies,” Bruno Mars’ “I Just Might,” Chris Brown and Bryson Tiller’s “It Depends,” Daniel Caesar’s “Who Knows,” Justin Bieber’s “Yukon,” Kehlani’s “Folded,” Mariah the Scientist and Kali Uchis’ “Is It a Crime,” Olivia Dean’s “Man I Need,” Tems’ “What You Need” and Tyla’s “Chanel,” per Billboard.
The new Spotify RNB X International Artist award spotlights acts “pushing the genre beyond borders”: Cleo Sol, FLO, kwn, Odeal, PARTYNEXTDOOR, Tems and Tiana Major9. That gives Nigeria’s Tems and South Africa’s Tyla a real shot at fan-picked hardware on a U.S. awards stage.
Red carpet arrivals in Chicago included Chaka Khan, Common, LisaRaye McCoy, Mickey Guyton, Kirk Franklin and Muni Long, according to Deadline. Fans also voted on the 20 Greatest R&B Songs of the 2020s, which will be counted down on the red carpet show, Back on Track.
