BABYFACE, BRANDY, CEELO GREEN, CHARLIE WILSON, ELLA MAI, JAZMINE SULLIVAN, LUCKY DAYE AND SMOKEY ROBINSON TO PERFORM AT THE 2020 “SOUL TRAIN AWARDS” PRESENTED BY BET ----R&B SUPERSTAR MONICA TO BE HONORED WITH THE LADY OF SOUL AWARD ----TISHA CAMPBELL & TICHINA ARNOLD RETURN TO HOST THE ANNUAL CELEBRATION AIRING SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 29TH AT 8 PM EST ON BET ----#SOULTRAINAWARDS ----TO APPLY FOR MEDIA CREDENTIALS FOR THE 2020 “SOUL TRAIN AWARDS” PRESENTED BY BET: https://rb.gy/altvo4 New York, NY – November 17, 2020 – Today BET announces performers and presenters for the 2020 “SOUL TRAIN AWARDS” featuring an exciting lineup of some of the brightest stars in R&B, Gospel, Adult Urban Contemporary and soul. “Feed Your Soul,” is the theme of this year’s show is and includes performances from Babyface, Brandy, CeeLo Green, Charlie Wilson, Ella Mai, Jazmine Sullivan, Lucky Daye, Monica, Smokey Robinson with appearances by Dallas Austin, Jermaine Dupri and Brandee Evans. The 2020 “SOUL TRAIN AWARDS” airs Sunday, November 29, 2020 at 8PM ET simulcast on BET, BET Her, VH1 and MTV2. The sixth annual Lady of Soul Award will be presented to Grammy Award-winning singer, actress, philanthropist and entrepreneur Monica. She’s the youngest female ever to have two #1 back-to-back hits on Billboard’s R&B chart from her 1995 debut album “Miss Thang.” Her sophomore album, “The Boy Is Mine,” garnered Monica pop success with a record-breaking 13 weeks at #1 on the Billboard charts. With a music career spanning over two decades, Monica’s chart-topping success continued throughout her career with multiple record-breaking albums and single releases with over 25-millions records sold. As previously announced, H.E.R. leads with 8 nominations, followed by Chris Brown with 7 nods, and Beyoncé and Young Thug with 6 each. The night begins with the one-hour, pre-show “Soul-Coming: Countdown to the Soul Train Awards” hosted by Flex Alexander and Shanice at 7 PM EST, followed by the 2020 “SOUL
TRAIN AWARDS” at 8 PM ET and the broadcast debut of the BET “Soul Train Edition” of DJ Cassidy’s groundbreaking virtual series, “Pass the Mic” directly afterwards. Internationally, the 2020 “SOUL TRAIN AWARDS” PRESENTED BY BET will simulcast on BET Africa on November 29, 2020, at 3:00AM CAT; BET France on December 1, 2020 at 9:50PM CET; and BET UK and BET South Korea on December 2, 2020 at 9:00PM GMT and 9:00PM KST, respectively. Connie Orlando, EVP Specials, Music Programming & Music Strategy at BET, along with Jesse Collins, CEO of Jesse Collins Entertainment (JCE), and JCE’s Jeannae Rouzan–Clay and Dionne Harmon will Executive Produce the 2020 “SOUL TRAIN AWARDS.” For show information, please visit BET.com/SoulTrain, the official site for 2020 “SOUL TRAIN AWARDS.” ### ABOUT BET BET, a subsidiary of ViacomCBS Inc. (NASDAQ: VIACA, VIAC), is the nation's leading provider of quality entertainment, music, news, and public affairs television programming for the AfricanAmerican audience. The primary BET channel is in 90 million households and can be seen in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom, sub-Saharan Africa, and France. BET is the dominant African-American consumer brand with a diverse group of business extensions including BET.com, a leading Internet destination for Black entertainment, music, culture, and news; BET HER, a 24-hour entertainment network targeting the African-American Woman; BET Music Networks - BET Jams, BET Soul and BET Gospel; BET Home Entertainment; BET Live, BET’s growing festival business; BET Mobile, which provides ringtones, games and video content for wireless devices; and BET International, which operates BET around the globe. ABOUT JESSE COLLINS ENTERTAINMENT Jesse Collins Entertainment (JCE) is a full-service television and film production company and has played an integral role in producing many of television’s most memorable moments in music entertainment. JCE has a multi-year overall agreement with ViacomCBS Cable Networks. On the theatrical film side, the company also has a first look on JCE’s film development projects which could include Viacom’s film entities such as Paramount Players. The award-winning and critically acclaimed television that JCE has produced includes miniseries—The New Edition Story and The Bobby Brown Story; scripted series—American Soul and Real Husbands of Hollywood; children’s series—Bookmarks: Celebrating Black Voices; award shows—BET Awards, Black Girls Rock!, BET Honors, UNCF’s An Evening of Stars, BET Hip Hop Awards, ABFF Honors and Soul Train Awards; specials—John Lewis: Celebrating A Hero, Love & Happiness: An Obama Farewell, Change Together: From The March On Washington To Today, Stand Up for Heroes, Dear Mama, Amanda Seales I Be Knowin’, Def Comedy Jam 25 and Leslie Jones: Time Machine; as well as competition/game shows—Sunday Best, Hip Hop Squares, Nashville Squares and Rhythm & Flow. Jesse Collins, founder & CEO of the company, is the executive producer of all programming and is also a producer for the iconic Grammy Awards. He will next executive produce The Pepsi Super Bowl LV Halftime Show. Go tojessecollinsent.com for more information on the company. ABOUT SOUL TRAIN HOLDINGS SOUL TRAIN HOLDINGS, LLC was formed in May 2008 and is owned by InterMedia Partners and a partnership between Magic Johnson Enterprises and Ron Burkle's investment firm, The Yucaipa Companies. The iconic franchise and catalog consists of more than 1,100 episodes and 40 specials from Don Cornelius Productions, Inc. Soul Train is the longest running, first-run,
nationally syndicated music program in television history. During its 35-year run, the show featured lasting innovations such as the Soul Train line and the legendary sign off “Love, Peace and Soul.” At the heart of the show was Don Cornelius, the dancers and influential artists such as James Brown, Al Green, Ike & Tina Turner, Hall & Oates, Donna Summer, Marvin Gaye, The Jackson 5, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Elton John, Whitney Houston, David Bowie, Prince, Run D.M.C. and Destiny’s Child. ### Follow us @BET_PR BET MEDIA CONTACTS LeToya Glenn-Bacon Letoya.Glenn@bet.net (212) 205-3158 Dezmon Gilmore Dezmon.Gilmore@viacom.com (212) 205-3159
SHOW TALKING POINTS ●
“BET Presents: Soul Train Awards” airs on Sunday, November 29, 2020 at 8:00PM EST on BET NETWORKS.
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Tichina Arnold & Tisha Campbell return as third time show hosts.
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Performers include: BABYFACE, BRANDY, CEELO GREEN, CHARLIE WILSON, ELLA MAI, JAZMINE SULLIVAN, LUCKY DAYE AND SMOKEY ROBINSON
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H.E.R. leads the nominees for this year’s awards, receiving eight nominations including ‘Best R&B/Soul Female Artist’ and double nods in each of the ‘The Ashford and Simpson Songwriters Award,’ ‘Best Collaboration’ and ‘Video of the Year’ categories.
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Chris Brown received seven nominations including ‘Album/Mixtape of the Year,’ ‘Song of the Year,’ ‘Best Dance Performance,’ ‘Best Collaboration’ and ‘Video of the Year’ for the hit single “Go Crazy” with Young Thug.
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Monica will be honored with the Lady of Soul Award.
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The night begins with the one-hour, pre-show “Soul-Coming: Countdown to the Soul Train Awards” hosted by Flex Alexander and Shanice at 7 PM ET
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DJ Cassidy hosts the broadcast television premiere of his hit virtual series “Pass the Mic: Soul Train Edition” on BET immediately following the award show.
#SOULTRAINAWARDS
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TALKING POINTS THE CLARK SISTERS ●
The Clark Sisters are nominated for Best Gospel/Inspirational
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The Clark Sisters are a legendary and iconic Gospel music group composed of sisters: Jacky Clark Chisholm, Elbernita “Twinkie” Clark, Dorinda Clark Cole, and Karen Clark Sheard.
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Credited for helping bring gospel music to the mainstream, The Clark Sisters are considered pioneers of contemporary Gospel music. Some of their crossover hits include “Is My Living in Vain?”, “Endow Me,” “Expect A Miracle,” and “You Brought The Sunshine,” their largest mainstream crossover; which was often played on Urban/R&B radio formats and in club venues.
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The Grammy award-winning group were most recently featured on the latest projects by HipHop artists Jay-Z and Snoop Dogg. Artists like Beyoncé, Mariah Carey, Queen Latifah, Chloe x Halle, and Mary J. Blige have all been influenced by The Clark Sisters.
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The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel (Lifetime’s biopic): The biopic of their lives premiered with 2.7 million viewers that night and was the highest watched original movie premiere in all of television in 2020. Their new single “The Return” debuted #2 on Billboard
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Single “Victory” hit #1 on Gospel BDS and mediabase gospel charts for two weeks straight
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HBO’s Lovecraft Country: Dorinda Clark Cole’s song “Take It Back” was featured on episode 3
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The Clark Sisters recently collaborated with PJ Morton on the song “Here He Comes Again” on the album Gospel According to PJ.
Jermaine Dupri ● ● ● ● ● ● ●
Jermaine Dupri will make an appearance at the 2020 Soul Train Awards Presented by BET Discovered the rap duo Kris Kross at an Atlanta mall in 1991 JD recently wrote a new song “Change” that he wrote with Ne-Yo, Johnta Austin and Bryan Michael Cox. There are 18 performers on the record Jermaine has recently partnered with TheBeet.com - a plant based informational website for everyone looking to live healthier
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Lonr. ●
Lonr. is nominated for Best New Artist
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He released his first-ever single “A.M.” in the Fall of 2019, which organically blew up on Tik Tok and started the #AMChallenege – it helped him gain over 32 million streams globally and had him top 10 on Spotify’s Viral chart.
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Released his debut EP Land Of Nothing Real in April.
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Lead single from the EP “Make The Most” featuring H.E.R. has been a break-out moment for him, it hit #1 on Urban AC radio in October.
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Lonr. had just gotten off tour with YBN Cordae before the quarantine started on a huge sold-out tour.
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He performed the single “Make The Most” at the BET Awards this June
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He is gearing up to release a new project soon, potentially titled Land Of Nothing Real 2
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Lonr. was born in California but relocated to Cape Cod, MA where he grew up. Felt pretty alone and isolated growing up so always found refuge in making his own world with music, which has been inspiration for his stage name and a lot of the subject matter he writes about.
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Taught himself how to write and produce out of his bedroom, inspired by names like Pharrell, OutKast, Tyler, The Creator and also classical music and film score soundtracks
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Moved to NYC to really take his craft seriously and wound up winning 2 GRAMMYS in 2019 for writing with H.E.R. on her projects
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Pls note: his name is stylized as Lonr. with the period.
Victoria Monet ●
Victoria Monet is nominated for Best New Artist & THE ASHFORD AND SIMPSON
SONGWRITER’S AWARD for co-writing Chloe & Halle’s “Do It” ● ●
She became involved in performing arts at a young age, singing in the youth choir at her church and performing in a city dance team. She soon took to writing and began working with producer Rodney Jerkins
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She has written songs for Fifth Harmony, GOOD Music, Ariana Grande, Lupe Fiasco, Janelle Monae and several other artists.
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H.E.R. ●
H.E.R. leads the nominees for this year’s awards, receiving eight nominations including ‘Best R&B/Soul Female Artist’ and double nods in each of the ‘The Ashford and Simpson Songwriters Award,’ ‘Best Collaboration’ and ‘Video of the Year’ categories.
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H.E.R’s new single “Damage” is out now!
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The singer-songwriter spent the introductory period of her career working to keep her identity under wraps. Releasing an album with just seven songs, no biography, and only a mysterious fullbody silhouette on the cover, H.E.R. had the people buzzing.
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Stokely ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●
Stokley will participate in the Soul Cypher on the 2020 Soul Train Awards Stokley is a Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter, producer, and instrumentalist. The former lead singer of the hit R&B band Mint Condition, Stokley is now focusing on his solo career and gearing up to release his sophomore album Sankofa out early 2021. The lead single “She” conquered the #1 spot for two weeks on both the Billboard and Mediabase UAC charts after 28 weeks. The single is written by Stokley and Carvin Haggins and produced by Stokley. The single is accompanied by a very sexy video (click here) that was directed by Josh Sikemma and continues to celebrate women as well as gives a new sensual view of Stokley that many fans have never experienced before. “SHE” is Stokley’s first career #1 and third top-five chart-topping single since he launched his solo career with the release of his album Introducing Stokley, which produced singles “Organic” and “Level.” Stokley’s current single off the album is “Vibrant” and features Snoop Dogg. The video (click here) iis very fun and just an all-around good time. The single peaked at #13 on both Billboard and Mediabase UAC charts. Next single off the album will be “Cascades” ft. The Bonfyre (click here). Outside of being the lead singer for Mint Condition and working on his solo projects, Stokley has worked with artists like Prince (who was instrumental in Stokley going solo), Janet Jackson, Jill Scott, Frank Ocean, Wale, Alicia Keys, Robert Glasper, Jazmine Sullivan, Toni Braxton, Kelly Price and more.
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India Shawn (non-show participant) ●
India Shawn new single and video movin on’ featuring anderson .paak who also directed the video. Video features guest cameos from anderson .paak, the free nationals, ambre & kirby. Check out the music video here!
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“Movin’ On” arrives on the heels of her recent single “NOT TOO DEEP” [feat. 6lack] which receiving critical praise, UPROXX placed it among “All The Best New R&B From This Week That You Need To Hear,” and Rated R&B exclaimed, “She is more than ready and capable of telling the world what she has to say.” Nylon featured the song on “Soundcheck: The 10 Best Music Releases of the Week” and described it as “a cut for those crucial incense-lighting hours.”
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India Shawn has been doing a Wellness Wednesdays feature video every week on her YouTube, check out more info here
Kiana Ledé (non-show participant) ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●
Kiana just released the deluxe version of her debut album, ’KIKI.’ The focus track off the deluxe album is Only Fan Ft Jacquees Kiana is currently working on her second album and brought onboard songwriting powerhouse Nija Charles to executive produce & co-write. Kiana is an advocate for change and just recently voted for the first time. Through her initiative with I Am A Voter she was highly successful in turning out the vote amongst her followers. She is also working to elect local and state officials now. Kiana has two TV series in the works, and while she can’t talk about the details on either, they are both very different. One is a fully scripted dark comedy & other is a super vulnerable reality type show that deals with important issues that women face.
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Jazmine Sullivan ● ● ●
Jazmine Sullivan will perform at the 2020 Soul Train Awards Presented by BET
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Previously released song, “Lost One” explores the feelings of remorse one experiences after a failed relationship.
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Both songs will appear on Sullivan’s new full-length project, out this winter on RCA Records.
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Recent social media vocal challenges of “Insecure” and “Lost One” served as a reminder that Jazmine is one of today’s most dynamic vocalists.
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In 2008, Jazmine Sullivan released her debut album Fearless, which featured the chart topping hit singles "Need You Bad" and "Bust Your Windows," and earned the Philadelphia native seven Grammy nominations including Best New Artist.
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Jazmine released her second album, the critically acclaimed Love Me Back in 2010, of which the Associated Press declared as “something amazing” and consequently garnered her an eighth Grammy nomination for “Holding You Down (Goin’ In Circles).” November 30 marks the 10th anniversary of this stellar album. Sullivan’s 2015 third studio album, Reality Show, appeared on numerous “Best of” lists, including NPR Music which proclaimed Jazmine “is blessed with a ninth-wonder-of-the-world voice: She sounds sly, raspy, nimble, battleship-sturdy, gospel-drenched, emotionally devastating.”
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New song “Pick Up Your Feelings” out this Friday, November 20, 2020
Reality Show, which included fan favorites “Let It Burn,” “Forever Don’t Last,” and “Mascara,” debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s R&B Albums chart, No. 2 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, No. 3 on the Digital Albums chart and No. 12 on the Billboard Top 200. The album also received three Grammy nominations.
SKIP MARLEY ●
Skip Marley is nominated with H.E.R. for their song “Slow Down” for Best Collaboration & Video of The Year
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Born in Kingston, Jamaica and raised in Miami, Florida, Skip is a self-taught musician and first performed at the age of 15.
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Skip is the direct descendant of the legendary Bob Marley.
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Upon his debut in the music industry, Skip has collaborated with Katy Perry, Ari Lennox, H.E.R, his uncle Damien, & Rick Ross.
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DJ CASSIDY ●
DJ Cassidy hosts the broadcast television premiere of his hit virtual series “Pass the Mic: Soul Train Edition” on BET immediately following the award show.
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DJ Cassidy has been at the nexus of music, fashion, and nightlife for over half his living years as the go-to deejay for music impresarios, entertainment moguls, fashion icons, cultural trendsetters, and even world leaders.
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DJ Cassidy has spinned parties and events for the likes of Former President Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Jay Z, Beyoncé, Justin Timberlake, Usher, and Robin Thicke
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At age ten, he played school functions; at age thirteen, he played friends' birthdays; by age eighteen, he was playing the VIP rooms of New York City’s hotspots. During one late-night set, Cassidy caught the attention of Sean "Puffy" Combs, who, impressed with the youngster's vast knowledge of music well beyond his years, quickly hired Cassidy to deejay at his MTV Video Music Awards bash. Jay Z heard Cassidy soon thereafter and began calling on him for all of his and Beyoncé’s parties.
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● 2020 “SOUL TRAIN AWARDS” AIRS ON SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2020 AT 8:00PM EST ON BET NETWORKS. ● TICHINA ARNOLD & TISHA CAMPBELL RETURN AS THIRD TIME SHOW HOSTS. ● PERFORMERS INCLUDE BABYFACE, BRANDY, CEELO GREEN, CHARLIE WILSON, ELLA MAI, JAZMINE SULLIVAN, LUCKY DAYE AND SMOKEY ROBINSON. ● H.E.R. LEADS THE NOMINEES FOR THIS YEAR’S AWARDS, RECEIVING EIGHT NOMINATIONS INCLUDING ‘BEST R&B/SOUL FEMALE ARTIST’ AND DOUBLE NODS IN EACH OF THE ‘THE ASHFORD AND SIMPSON SONGWRITERS AWARD,’ ‘BEST COLLABORATION’ AND ‘VIDEO OF THE YEAR’ CATEGORIES. ● CHRIS BROWN RECEIVED SEVEN NOMINATIONS INCLUDING ‘ALBUM/MIXTAPE OF THE YEAR,’ ‘SONG OF THE YEAR,’ ‘BEST DANCE PERFORMANCE,’ ‘BEST COLLABORATION’ AND ‘VIDEO OF THE YEAR’ FOR THE HIT SINGLE “GO CRAZY” WITH YOUNG THUG. ● MONICA WILL BE HONORED WITH THE LADY OF SOUL AWARD. ● THE NIGHT BEGINS WITH THE ONE-HOUR, PRE-SHOW “SOUL-COMING: COUNTDOWN TO THE SOUL TRAIN AWARDS” HOSTED BY FLEX ALEXANDER AND SHANICE AT 7 PM ET. ● DJ CASSIDY HOSTS THE BROADCAST TELEVISION PREMIERE OF HIS HIT VIRTUAL SERIES “PASS THE MIC: SOUL TRAIN EDITION” IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE AWARD SHOW. #SOULTRAINAWARDS