Tems is the only double nominee in the first Soul Train Awards reveal
BET has started naming the nominees for the 2026 Soul Train Awards. In the first two categories out, one name appears twice.
BET began rolling out nominations for the 2026 Soul Train Awards on Monday 5 October, releasing the categories in stages rather than all at once. The first slate included R&B/Soul Song of the Year and the fan-voted Spotify RNB X International Artist award, and Tems is the only artist named in both.
The nominationsTwo categories, one Nigerian star
Her nod for Song of the Year is for “What You Need”, the slow-burning single that has spent most of 2026 on the Billboard Hot 100 and has since become the longest-charting solo song by an African artist in the chart's history. The second is the RNB X International Artist award, which Spotify backs and fans vote on.
She isn't the only African voice in the song category. South Africa's Tyla is also up for R&B/Soul Song of the Year, with “Chanel”.
What's nextMark the date
The Soul Train Awards air on BET on Friday 27 November 2026, which is Saturday morning, 28 November, here in Nairobi. More categories are still to be announced, so Tems' count could yet go up.
It's familiar territory. Tems won Best New Artist at the Soul Train Awards in 2022, the year her voice was everywhere thanks to “Essence” and “Free Mind”.