According to BET, not even a global pandemic could diminish the powerful spirit of praise, worship and celebration during the historic virtual broadcast of the Stellar Gospel Music Awards Sunday night on BET and BET Her.
Led by hosts Kirk Franklin, Jonathan McReynolds, and Koryn Hawthorne, the 35th Anniversary Stellar Gospel Music Awards awarded trophies in 28 categories for the year’s best performances in the genre — including six statues presented to the night’s big winner, host and Gospel icon Kirk Franklin.
Below is a list of winners:
Category #1 ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Tasha Cobbs Leonard; Heart. Passion. Pursuit. (Live at Passion City Church); Motown Gospel
Category #2 SONG OF THE YEAR
Deliver Me (This Is My Exodus); Donald Lawrence, William Stokes, Marshon Lewis, Robert Woolridge & Desmond Davis; RCA Inspiration
Category #3 MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Kirk Franklin; Long Live Love; Fo Yo Soul/ RCA/ RCA Inspiration
CATEGORY #4 ALBERTINA WALKER FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Le’Andria Johnson; Goshen; RCA Inspiration
CATEGORY #5 DUO/CHORUS GROUP OF THE YEAR
The Walls Group, Friend in Me, Wall2Wall Entertainment/My Block Records
CATEGORY #6 NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Pastor Mike Jr.; Live Free; Black Smoke Worldwide
CATEGORY #7 ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Long Live Love; Kirk Franklin; Fo Yo Soul/ RCA/ RCA Inspiration
Singer Tamela Mann performed her hit powerful single “Touch from You” at the 2020 Stellar Gospel Music Awards…Tamela lookin’ good right? I see you lady…
Additionally, the night was marked by powerful performances and tributes to late civil rights icon Congressman John Lewis.
See the 35th Annual Stellar Awards Virtual Red Carpet hosted by Jekalyn Carr. Portions of this program were pre-recorded.
To relive all of the highlights, you can watch the StellarAwards in national broadcast syndication in 210 markets starting August 29 – September 27 (check local listings).
America’s most inspirational singing competition BET’s “SundayBest” has announced it’s Season 10 Winner – Stephanie Summers (Colorado Springs, Colorado). Summers will receive a recording contract with RCA Inspiration, a prize of $50,000, an opportunity to be a featured performer on the McDonald’s Inspiration Gospel Tour and the title “SundayBest.”
A veteran in the gospel music scene, Stephanie Summers has opened up for legends like Pastor John P. Kee, Dorinda Clark-Cole, and others. Her gospel career was derailed following the death of her best friend and father. After a short period of becoming homeless, she has once again found her footing and is ready to return to the gospel scene and prove that it’s never too late to follow your dreams. Today, she is living with her children in Colorado Springs.
The Clark Sisters
The season 10 finale episode featured original performances by show judge Jonathan McReynolds feat. Mali Music with “Movin’ On;” show judge Erica Campbell with “You;” The Clark Sisters with “Victory;” Kierra Sheard with “It Keeps Happening” and Season 9 Winner Melvin Crispell III with a rendition of “What’s Going On?”
Twinkie Clark
Le’Andria Johnson
Gospel music great Dorinda Clark Cole and SundayBest Season 3 Winner Le’Andria Johnson made special appearances during contestant mentoring moments.
Kirk Franklin
Season 10 premiered July 5th from Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta, GA with a live audience and band, before transitioning to a virtual telecast in light of COVID-19. GRAMMY®-winning music legend Kirk Franklin served as host; and GRAMMY® winning songstress & host of “Get Up Mornings,” Erica Campbell, GRAMMY® nominated artist & star of BET’s “American Soul” Kelly Price and GRAMMY® nominated & multiple Stellar award-winning artist Jonathan McReynolds returned as judges. Season 10 auditions were previously held earlier this year in Atlanta, Georgia at The House of Hope.
Jesse Collins, CEO of Jesse Collins Entertainment (BET Awards, “The New Edition Story”), and Dionne Harmon (“The Bobby Brown Story,” “Hip Hop Squares”) serve as executive producers of season ten of “SundayBest” along with executive producer and showrunner Jeannae Rouzan-Clay (“Dear Mama,” “Black Girls Rock!”), and Torrence Glenn (“Celebration Of Gospel,” “Trumpet Awards”) is co-executive producer.
For updates and more information about “SundayBest,” please visit BET.com/SundayBest. Join the conversation on social media by logging onto social media platforms using the hashtag: #BETSundayBest.
With his 9th studio album, Restoration, dropping on August 21st and the follow up to his New York Times bestselling book, I Am Restored: How I Lost My Religion, But Found My Faith, releasing on October 13th, Lecrae is giving fans a behind the scenes view of his life in The Road To Restoration, a three-part video narrative posted on his YouTube channel.
“Restoration is taking something broken and making it whole again,” explains Lecrae. “Through restoration we take something that has been stripped of its value and bring back its worth, meaning, and purpose. I want people to journey with me on The Road To Restoration. The journey begins with this three-part video experience, then there’s the album, Set.Live virtual concert, and book! Collectively they’re all pieces of a puzzle and each piece helps you to understand the next. When all the pieces come together, you’ll get the full picture.”
The YouTube video series begins with The Road To Restoration: The Dreamer (Part 1) opening with a 14-year-old Lecrae sharing his dream of growing up to become a rapper, family man, and businessman! The irony of watching the young 8th grader, is not only did he become a rapper, but he would become a multi Grammy Award-winning platinum selling artist who made history as the first artist to debut in the #1 spot on Billboard’s Top 200 and Gospel Album Chart in the same week! Now also husband and father of three, Lecrae adds New York Times bestselling author, entrepreneur, speaker, thought leader, philanthropist, and Co-Owner/President of Reach Records to his achievements.
While on the surface, it appeared that Lecrae was living his dream, secretly his life was spinning out of control. Ready to walk away from everything—his career, marriage, and family – Lecrae decided to finally face the traumas he had experienced, and deal with it, step by step. The Road To Restoration is a window into my journey towards restoration. “It’s easy to think that life gets easier the more successful you get. But, the more successful I became, the more I had to fight for something I couldn’t maintain. It broke me, but it also opened the door for me to be restored.”
The second step of The Road to Restoration: Closing The Gap (Part 2) includes Lecrae meeting his father. “For the first time in my life I got to sit down and talk to my father face to face and I went through so many emotions seeing him but I’m thankful that I finally got to ask him all the questions I never got to ask. It was healing and now he texts me almost every day!”
The Road to Restoration: This Is Not The End (Part 3) shows how Lecrae is restoring his own family and the steps he’s taken to prioritize them. “I used to be a creative who was taking time for the family but now I’m a family man who is fighting to stay creative,” shares Lecrae. “Just being a young black man who was fatherless, lived in a disenfranchised community, I’ve been restored to understanding that my worth, my value is not predicated by where I came from, or what’s happened to me. I’ve been made whole through spiritual restoration, through my faith in God, through therapy and and recognize that I have infinite purpose and worth.”
“Restoration is ongoing… an endless pursuit towards accepting what God has for you and trusting Him to lead you to what’s ahead,” shares Lecrae. “It is the key essential for life. As painful as the things I’ve gone through, as painful as the things you’ve gone through, none of it is beyond restoration.” The Road To Restoration video series also features appearances from: NBA All Star player Steph Curry, former NBA player Jeremy Lin, music industry executive & “Silence The Shame” mental health advocate, Shanti Das, Reach Records artists Tedashii, Grammy-award winning songwriter Natalie Lauren Sims and more.
Please continue on the journey and watch Lecrae’s the three- part video series, The Road To Restoration below and pre-order the album Restoration and book I Am Restored: How I Lost My Religion But Found My Faith” today! The album features artists across all genres including John Legend, Kirk Franklin, YK Osiris, Jozzy, Dani Leigh, Marc E. Bassy, BJ The Chicago Kid and more. The first single Set Me Free, features YK Osiris (produced by GAWVI) and was followed up by Deep End, (produced by Anthony Gardner), Drown ft. John Legend (producers Danny Majic, DJ Frank E, and Ace Harris) and Zombie.
