Beyoncé Knowles, the belle of the ball at the Grammy Awards earlier this month, will soon get a chance to add more hardware to her trophy collection.
The frontwoman for superstar trio Destiny’s Child picked up four nominations for the 18th annual Soul Train Music Awards, which honor recording artists in the R&B, hip-hop and gospel fields, organizers said at a news conference Thursday.
The 22-year-old singer led the field of nominees, which includes Luther Vandross with three nominations, and six acts with two nods each: Erykah Badu, B2K, Anthony Hamilton, the Isley Brothers featuring Ron Isley, R. Kelly and OutKast.
The ceremony, to be hosted by singer-producers Kenneth ”Babyface” Edmonds and Alicia Keys, will take place March 20 at the International Cultural Center Auditorium in Los Angeles and will be broadcast in syndication.
Knowles’ debut solo release, “Dangerously in Love,” will vie for best R&B/soul album (female) and album of the year. The track “Crazy in Love” will compete for best R&B/soul single (female) and best video. She won a leading five Grammys Feb. 8, including prizes for best R&B song and contemporary R&B album.
“While three or four shows may all agree that Beyoncé is the hottest artist in the game today, the purpose of the Soul Train Awards is to ensure that the celebration is specific and that the celebration lives up to what artists like Beyonce deserve, as opposed to some of the top black artists (who) are treated as an afterthought,” the show’s executive producer, Don Cornelius, told Reuters at the news conference.
Vandross’ album “Dance With My Father,” received a Soul Train nomination for best R&B/soul album (male), and will compete with Knowles for album of the year. The title track was also cited for R&B/soul single (male). Vandross, who was afflicted by a near-fatal stroke last year, won four Grammys, including song of the year and best R&B album.
Cornelius, a one-time radio DJ, created the influential ”Soul Train” weekly TV show in 1970.