Durand Bernarr Named Soul Personified Honoree for the Soul Train Awards

Official BET promotional artwork announcing Durand Bernarr’s Soul Personified honor. Source: Paramount Press Express / BET.

Durand Bernarr has another major moment ahead in an already significant year. BET announced October 27 that the singer will receive the Soul Personified honor and perform at the 2026 Soul Train Awards. The broadcast is scheduled for Friday, November 27, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on BET and CBS.

The recognition follows Bernarr’s Grammy win for BLOOM in the Best Progressive R&B Album category. The Recording Academy’s award record confirms that achievement, placing the forthcoming television appearance after an important milestone for his recorded work. These are separate honors, with the Soul Train announcement adding a performance to the recognition.

BET’s announcement also points to BERNARR, his fourth studio album, released through DSING Records and Create Music Group. The title pays tribute to his father, sound engineer Bernarr Ferebee Sr. That family connection provides context for the project without reducing the singer’s latest chapter to an awards-season headline.

The official Soul Train hub lists Chaka Khan as the Classic Soul honoree and Anthony Anderson as host. Together, those selections place Bernarr’s recognition within a program connecting contemporary R&B with the performers who helped establish its vocabulary. The broadcast gives viewers a chance to see that generational conversation on one bill.

For R&B listeners, the distinction matters: an honor is a statement about an artist’s place in the music, while a performance lets the audience experience the work directly. Bernarr is scheduled for both. Specific songs for his set have not been announced in the cited release, so there is no confirmed performance playlist to promise.

Baltimore viewers can mark November 27 for the 8 p.m. Eastern broadcast. Until then, BLOOM offers a starting point for the Grammy-winning chapter, while BERNARR brings the focus to his newer album. PowerPage will treat any later performance or lineup announcement as a separate update rather than assume details ahead of the show.