BET announced Oct. 22 that Chaka Khan will receive the Classic Soul Honor at the 2026 Soul Train Awards. The ceremony airs Friday, Nov. 27, at 8 p.m. ET and PT on BET and CBS, the first time the show has been simulcast on CBS.
What BET Announced about the Classic Soul Honor
BET’s announcement calls Khan a Chicago-born singer, songwriter and cultural icon. It says the honor recognizes her vocal skill, her artistic innovation and decades of work that shaped soul and R&B. Louis Carr, the president of BET, said in the statement that honoring Khan celebrates “the music and cultural legacy that Soul Train has always embodied.”
The show also airs on BET Her, VH1, MTV2 and LOGO. BET said in an earlier release that it tapes the ceremony in Chicago, the city where Don Cornelius launched the original “Soul Train” more than 50 years ago. Khan was born on the city’s South Side, according to her official biography.
The announcement does not name past recipients of the Classic Soul Honor, and it does not say who will perform. BET said on Oct. 5 that performers and honorees will be announced in the coming weeks. Connie Orlando, BET’s executive vice president of specials, music programming and music strategy, is the executive producer for the network.
Chaka Khan’s Career and Recent Honors
Khan’s biography says she was born Yvette Marie Stevens and became the lead voice of Rufus at 18, after joining the band as a teenager in the early 1970s. Her hits include “Tell Me Something Good,” which Stevie Wonder wrote and which won a Grammy, as well as “Ain’t Nobody,” “Sweet Thing” and “I’m Every Woman,” her 1978 solo debut single. Prince wrote “I Feel for You,” her 1984 hit with Wonder on harmonica. She also sang guest vocals on Steve Winwood’s “Higher Love” and Robert Palmer’s “Addicted to Love,” both of which won Grammys.
Sources differ on how many Grammy Awards she has won. Her website lists 11 wins from 22 nominations. A Billboard report on the Soul Train honor put the total at 10. The website’s figures mean she has won on half of her nominations, a calculation from the 11 and the 22.
The site also lists 23 studio albums, 10 certifications from the Recording Industry Association of America at gold or platinum levels and 10 Billboard number ones. Billboard’s report called her newest record her 13th studio album, which does not match the website’s count. The site does not explain how it counts albums.
Her honors include a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2026 and a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Musical Excellence Award in November 2023. She has a Hollywood Walk of Fame star from 2012, an honorary Doctor of Music from Berklee College of Music from 2004, a BET Lifetime Achievement Award and a Soul Train Legend Award. Chicago declared July 28, 2013, Chaka Khan Day.
Release Timeline for Chakzilla
The biography also covers her new album, “Chakzilla.” It lists the lead single “Chakzilla,” released May 7, which Khan co-wrote with Sia and which Greg Kurstin co-wrote and produced. “Boogie’s In My Soul,” with Snoop Dogg and Sia, followed May 22, and “Cool U Down” came July 31. The full album is scheduled for Sept. 18 and features Sia, Snoop Dogg and Lenny Kravitz.
The first single came 134 days before the album, and the album comes 70 days before the Soul Train broadcast. Both figures are calculations from the dates on her website. The honor arrives about two months after the album, in a year in which the Recording Academy also gave her its lifetime award.
Fan Voting in the Soul Train Awards
BET’s Oct. 5 release put the winners of two categories in fans’ hands. In R&B/Soul Song of the Year, fans vote on BET.com for one of 10 songs. The nominees are Brent Faiyaz’s “Butterflies,” Bruno Mars’ “I Just Might,” Chris Brown’s “It Depends” featuring Bryson Tiller, Daniel Caesar’s “Who Knows,” Justin Bieber’s “Yukon,” Kehlani’s “Folded,” Mariah the Scientist’s “Is It a Crime” featuring Kali Uchis, Olivia Dean’s “Man I Need,” Tems’ “What You Need” and Tyla’s “Chanel.” BET said voting runs through Oct. 16.
The second category is Spotify’s RNB X International Artist, which is new this year and has seven nominees: Cleo Sol, FLO, kwn, Odeal, PARTYNEXTDOOR, Tems and Tiana Major9. Fans vote only in the Spotify app. Tems is the only artist who appears in both fan-voted categories, once for a song and once as an artist. Orlando said in the release, “We’re thrilled to put the vote in the fans’ hands for the first time.”
BET did not say when it will announce the winners. Fans can also rank the 20 greatest R&B songs of the 2020s. They choose from 64 songs on BET’s hub at hub.bet.com and may vote once every 24 hours. The 20 songs with the most votes make the list, which BET will count down during the red carpet show, “Back on Track,” on YouTube and Facebook. The list keeps 20 of 64 songs, or 31%.
Broadcast, Host and Production Details
Anthony Anderson hosts the ceremony, BET said Oct. 1. The network describes him as an Emmy- and Golden Globe-nominated actor, comedian and host. Spotify and Toyota present the show, and Jesse Collins Entertainment produces it. Jesse Collins, Dionne Harmon and Jeannae Rouzan-Clay are executive producers alongside Orlando.
Soul Train Line Contest Prizes
BET also opened a contest on Oct. 20 called “Soul Train Line: You’re Up!” Entrants record a 30second video of their own take on the Soul Train Line, dancing to Marvin Gaye’s “Got to Give It Up.” They post it on TikTok, Instagram or Facebook, follow @BET, use the hashtag #BETSoulTrainLine and submit the link at bet.com/soul-train-line. Each person may enter one video, and entries close Nov. 5.
The grand prize is $5,000 and a feature of the winner’s video during the broadcast. Nine more finalists receive $500 each. The prizes add up to $9,500, a calculation from BET’s figures. Entries close 22 days before the ceremony. BET’s official rules, posted at bet.com/soul-trainline-contest-rules, cover eligibility.
