The Soul Train Awards Return With Fans in the Voting Booth
The returning Soul Train Awards add two fan-voted categories, creating a timely conversation about R&B discovery, recognition, and the role of streaming platforms.
Oct 8, 2026 · 2 min read
The Soul Train Awards are returning to television this fall, and a new voting invitation gives listeners a role before the broadcast begins. In an announcement updated October 5, 2026, Spotify says BET has introduced two fan-voted categories: R&B/Soul Song of the Year and Spotify’s RNB X International Artist. Voting remains open through October 16.
The show will be taped in Chicago and is scheduled to air November 27 at 8 p.m. Eastern on BET, with a CBS simulcast among its distribution plans. Spotify and Toyota are presenting partners, and Spotify is the franchise’s exclusive music streaming partner. The international artist category includes Tems, FLO, Odeal, Cleo Sol, PARTYNEXTDOOR, Tiana Major9, and kwn.
Those are the announced details. The editorial question is what happens when an institution associated with musical heritage meets a platform that also shapes everyday discovery. An awards show creates a concentrated moment of attention. A streaming service can connect that moment to an ongoing listening habit. Whether that connection produces deeper curiosity depends on what audiences do after casting a vote.
For R&B fans, the strongest response would be to treat the ballot as a starting point. Hear an unfamiliar nominee’s project in full. Find out who wrote and produced the songs. Follow the musical connections that a single playlist entry cannot explain. Recognition becomes more valuable when it encourages a listener to spend time with an artist’s work rather than simply endorse a familiar name.
For independent artists, fan voting also makes the difference between reach and participation easier to see. A listener can enjoy a song without joining an artist’s broader community. Asking that person to take a specific action requires a clear invitation and a reason to care. That is useful to understand, although an award campaign and a small release campaign operate at very different scales.
Le Cadre’s view is that a public vote can be meaningful without being mistaken for a complete measurement of artistic value. A ballot captures the choices of the people who participate, within the options they are offered. It cannot account for every recording, every local scene, or every listener’s experience. Celebrating a winner should leave room for discovering work outside the shortlist.
The partnership raises a related question about cultural context. When a platform helps present an award, it has an opportunity to connect contemporary music with the traditions and creative labor behind it. Useful context would include songwriters, musicians, producers, and the communities that support the sound. The names on a ballot are an introduction; the story around them deserves equal attention.
With voting open now and the broadcast still ahead, this is a moment to listen deliberately. The return of the awards offers an occasion to celebrate R&B and soul in public. Its longer value will come from the listening, conversation, and discovery that continue after the voting closes.