Nigerian Stars Wizkid and Tems Bag 2021 Soul Train Awards’ Recognition

BET released the official nominations for the 2021 “Soul Train Awards”, recognising the best in Soul and R&B. African stars, Wizkid and Tems, shine with five impressive nominations each.  

Three-time GRAMMY® award-winning singer-songwriter and producer Maxwell will receive the ‘Legend’ award while award-winning singer/songwriter, actor, entrepreneur and author, Ashanti, will be the recipient of the ‘Lady of Soul’ honour at the 2021 “Soul Train Awards”.

The 2021 “Soul Train Awards” premieres Monday, 29 November at 01:00 WAT/02:00 CAT on BET Africa (DStv Channel 129, GOtv Channel 21) and will repeat the same day at 19:00 WAT/20:00 CAT. 

Monde Twala, Senior Vice President and General Manager of ViacomCBS Networks Africa commented, “Congratulations to all the nominees. We are proud to see diversity with African artists leading with nominations, and are thrilled to celebrate the best in soul music at the iconic television show’s 50th anniversary. The “Soul Train Awards” continues to recognize the best in Soul, R&B and Hip Hop from both established industry legends and the next generation of promising artists.” 

“It’s an honour to be presented with the Legend award by a community that’s been growing with me throughout my career,” said Maxwell. “I’m so grateful to be sharing this moment with everyone and returning to the Apollo for an evening of excellence.” 

“I’m honoured to be recognised as this year’s ‘Lady of Soul’ honouree,” said Ashanti.

“This is a full circle moment for me because I received the ‘Aretha Franklin Entertainer of the Year’ Award at the Lady of Soul Awards in 2002. As we commemorate 50 years of Soul Train, I’m proud to be a part of this legacy and to return to the Apollo to celebrate.” 

H.E.R. leads the 2021 “Soul Train Awards” nominations with an impressive eight nominations for ‘Best R&B/Soul Female Artist,’ ‘Song of the Year,’ ‘Album of the Year,’ ‘The Ashford and Simpson Songwriter’s Award (x2),’ ‘Best Collaboration (x2),’ and ‘Video of the Year’.

Jazmine Sullivan and Chris Brown garnered the second most nominations with six nominations each.

Jazmine Sullivan’s nominations include ‘Best R&B/Soul Female Artist,’ ‘Song of the Year,’ ‘Album of the Year,’ ‘The Ashford and Simpson Songwriter’s Award,’ ‘Best Collaboration,’ and ‘Video of the Year’.

Chris Brown’s nods include ‘Best R&B/Soul Male Artist,’ ‘The Ashford and Simpson Songwriter’s Award,’ ‘Best Dance Performance,’ ‘Best Collaboration (x2),’ and ‘Video of the Year’. 

Wizkid and Tems are the third highest with five nominations each, with iconic nominations in categories such as ‘Song of the year’, ‘album of the year’, ‘Video of the year’, ‘Best R&B Artist’, amongst others, followed by Blxst with four nominations.

Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak, Silk Sonic, Doja Cat, and Yung Bleu each have three nominations. 

Dynamic best-friend duo Tisha Campbell and Tichina Arnold will return as co-hosts of the 2021 “Soul Train Awards,” bringing their irreplaceable energy and hilarious comedic talents to this year’s show.  

The “Soul Train Awards” presented by BET will feature an exciting lineup of unforgettable performances including special moments and appearances by some of the brightest stars in Black culture and entertainment.

The annual event is committed to showcasing the impact of Soul Train on music and dance from the ‘70s to today.