*We caught up with Award-winning singer, songwriter and producer Ne-Yo to dish about him hosting this year’s Urban One Honors.
The two-hour telecast premieres Monday, January 17, 2022, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, at 8:00 PM ET/7:00 PM CT on TV One and Cleo TV, a division of Urban One.
Oscar and Grammy Award-winning singer H.E.R. will open this year’s ceremony, and she joins the previously announced lineup of performances by Inspiration honoree Tasha Cobbs-Leonard, Kelly Price, Tyrese, Tank, Johnny Gill and Ralph Tresvant with a special set by D-Nice. Jermaine Dupri, Marlon Wayans and Vashawn Mitchell are tapped to present. Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Lifetime Achievement; Timbaland, Music Innovation; Gamble and Huff, Living Legends; Tasha Cobbs Leonard, Inspiration Impact; and Oscar, Grammy and Emmy Award-winning Jennifer Hudson, Entertainment Icon round out the superstar group of honorees for the annual showcase.
Jennifer Hudson, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis will receive the Icon Recipients Awards.
READ MORE: Celebrate King Day! LISTEN to Lee Bailey’s ‘King: From Atlanta to the Mountaintop’ Segment
Wireless provider T-Mobile serves as Presenting Sponsor of the celebration.
“At T-Mobile, we champion diversity by supporting Black innovators and elevating Black history year-round,” said Clint Odom, T-Mobile VP of Strategic Alliances and External Affairs. “We’re thrilled to celebrate Dr. King with Urban One Honors by honoring the music, the magic and the soundtrack of Black America.”
Ne-Yo will host the 2022 Urban One Honors, with Eva Marcille as the backstage host. Speaking about the state of R&B music ahead of tonight’s show, Ne-Yo said that people need to “turn their eyes and ears off for a second” and “turn their hearts on.”
“R&B music definitely has as gone through an era that is much harsher than we all remember,” Ne-Yo tells Page Six during a virtual press conference for the Urban One Honors.
“‘I love you’ became ‘you my bitch.’ Now it’s like, okay, we got to move with the times but at the same time, love is not a trend or a fade. It’s not something that is supposed to go out of style. It’s like saying water is going out of style. No, you need it to live.”
In the clip below, Ne-Yo tells EURweb’s Ny MaGee about his pre-hosting jitters and shares his thoughts about hosting an awards show for the first time ever.
EUR-Urban One Honors- NE-YO from EURweb on Vimeo.
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