H.E.R., Ella Mai, Jasmine Sullivan, and Others Light up the Soul Train Awards
Singers H.E.R., Ella Mai, Brandy, and others made the 2020 Soul Train Awards a night to remember, and here’s what you need to know.
The annual awards show that aims to honor musicians in the Soul, Contemporary R&B, Gospel, Jazz, and Hip-Hop categories took place on November 29, 2020, and aired on BET as a two-hour event. Musicians who won awards this year include Chris Brown, Summer Walker, Beyoncé, H.E.R., Megan Thee Stallion, Kirk Franklin, and Brandy. The event was hosted by Tichina Arnold and Tisha Campbell, who returned as third-time hosts.
According to Billboard, after accepting her award for Best R&B/Soul Female Artist, singer-songwriter H.E.R. said, “People say R&B is dead; R&B is not dead. R&B is in everything. It’s rhythm and blues, and has a lot of champions. I said this last year, ‘When one of us wins, we all win.’ We are forever.” This speech was one of the highlights of the special evening celebrating African-American achievements in music.
R&B IS NOT DEAD 🗣🗣 Congrats to #HER on winning Best R&B/Soul Female Artist at last nights #SoulTrainAwards 👑 pic.twitter.com/iTZbqQ2Vcr
— REVOLT TV (@revolttv) November 30, 2020
Hosts Arnold and Campbell opened the show by discussing incidents of police brutality and violence towards black women throughout the year, and played a recording of poet Maya Angelou reciting her famous poem, “Still I Rise.” According to Billboard, at the end of the monologue, Arnold said, “This show is all about love and celebration of our culture.” Right after this presentation, R&B singer Brandy won an award for Soul Train Certified Award.
After giving this memorable speech, Brandy performed her songs “Say Something” and “Borderline,” and made the night even more special. The awards show also featured a performance from British singer-songwriter Ella Mai, who sang her single “Not Another Love Song.”
.@EllaMai got us deep in our feelings over her performance of “Not Another Love Song” during the 2020 #SoulTrainAwards. pic.twitter.com/kLZpaiihG2
— BET (@BET) November 30, 2020
We offer our congratulations to the winners honored at the 2020 Soul Train Awards and look forward to seeing what they accomplish in the future. You can watch performances and acceptance speeches from the awards show on BET’s website.
