*The 40th Stellar Gospel Music Awards, set for August 16 at Nashville’s Schermerhorn Symphony Center, will be hosted by the iconic GRAMMY-winning duo BeBe & CeCe Winans.
This milestone event, themed “OUR MUSIC, OUR VOICE, OUR CULTURE,” marks four decades of celebrating gospel music’s greatest talents. “We’re setting the tone for a night that celebrates 40 years of celebrating the greatest in gospel music,” said Jennifer Jackson, President of Central City Productions. Tickets are available now at StellarAwards.com.
For CeCe, hosting this historic event is deeply personal. “It means so many things for me… it just shows the faithfulness of God, not just to us, but to this genre of music,” she told EUR exclusively, noting that hosting with her brother BeBe was the only way it made sense, as “it’s been 40 years for us.” BeBe echoed the sentiment, emphasizing the timeliness of the event: “It’s happening at an important time in our world where people need hope… we’re glad to be able to give that away to the people.”
The sibling duo, known for hits like “Addictive Love” and “Close to You,” plans to bring their decades of experience to the stage. “You just take what we’ve learned and you take the songs that we’ve sung… and you offer up an incredible celebration,” BeBe said. CeCe added, “We get to bring all of our expertise, all of our experiences, all of our maturity to the hosting and the stage, and that’s going to be fun.”
The gospel industry has evolved significantly, and CeCe is excited about its trajectory. “I think it keeps getting better over the years… I’m excited about the Tasha Cobbs. I’m excited about Jonathan McReynolds. These young people are talented,” she said. The awards will feature performances from artists like Donnie McClurkin, Tasha Cobbs Leonard, Jekalyn Carr, and rising stars like Adia and Melvin Crispell III, bridging generations of gospel talent.
Scroll to continue reading
As hosts, BeBe and CeCe aim to inspire. “You can expect a word through music that is going to encourage you to believe God a little bit more… Pick up that dream,” BeBe said, hinting at surprises and humor, admitting, “You can expect us to mess up.” CeCe sees the event as a bridge: “It’s definitely a bridge… They can look at our lives and see what God has done and know that we haven’t hit the ceiling.”
The Stellars are a spiritual celebration, and BeBe emphasized its global impact: “People need to know that the world, even being out of control, that God is in control… through music and what we’re doing, we hope that message goes to every household.”
For first-time viewers, BeBe is thrilled about “introductions” to new artists, while CeCe hopes “this will be the best Stellars so far and that we will reach the most people than we’ve ever reached before.”
Hosting marks a new chapter for the duo, who have performed on the Stellar stage many times. “This is the first time we’re co-hosting together. So it’ll be interesting. So tune in,” BeBe said.
CeCe added, “We’re not nervous… we’re planning to do something together on the show… that’s going to be fun.”
The STELLAR PLUS experience, including a Nominee Pre-Show Dinner hosted by Dorinda Clark-Cole and Vincent Bohanan on August 15, will enhance the weekend’s festivities.
Watch our full conversation with BeBe and CeCe below.
MORE NEWS ON EURWEB.COM: Do Tiffany and Zavier Get Married in ‘Madea’s Destination Wedding’?
Sign up for our Free daily newsletter HERE.
