Soul Train Awards 2026: Chaka Khan, Durand Bernarr and Elmiene to be “honoured”
BET is giving Chaka the Classic Soul Honor, Durand the Soul Personified Honor and Elmiene the New Soul Honor. The show airs Nov 27 on BET, and on CBS for the first time.
BET has its three honorees for this year's Soul Train Awards, and they span the whole story of the music: a legend, a Grammy-winning independent and one of the UK's brightest new voices.
Chaka Khan gets the Classic Soul Honor. Five decades in, the 11-time Grammy winner behind "Ain't Nobody", "I'm Every Woman" and "Through the Fire" is having a big year. She received the Recording Academy's Lifetime Achievement Award earlier in 2026, and in September she released CHAKZILLA, her first album since 2019's Hello Happiness. "Chaka Khan is the embodiment of soul music," said BET president Louis Carr.
Durand Bernarr gets the Soul Personified Honor. He'll also perform and host the red carpet show. His album BLOOM won Best Progressive R&B Album at the Grammys in February, and he followed it with his fourth album, BERNARR., in May. This month he wrapped up his run opening for Kehlani in North America.
Elmiene, the Sudanese-British singer behind "Someday", gets the New Soul Honor and will perform too. He's already one of our Come Up picks.
- Show
- 2026 Soul Train Awards
- Where
- Chicago
- Airs
- Fri Nov 27, 8 PM ET · BET, simulcast on CBS
- Honorees
- Chaka Khan · Durand Bernarr · Elmiene
Our view: honouring Chaka and Durand on the same night is the right call. One built the house, the other is proving it can still be built from scratch. Who else should be on that stage?
