The Stellar Awards are getting ready to honor another year of music that continues to move from the church pews to the main stage.
Central City Productions has announced the nominees for the 41st Annual Stellar Gospel Music Awards, and this year’s list reflects the full range of where gospel music lives today. From Sunday morning worship and choir stands to contemporary praise and traditional gospel to holy hip-hop, and collaborations that reach well beyond the walls of the church.
In the top Artist of the Year category, Darrel Walls, Jekalyn Carr, Kim Person, Tasha Cobbs Leonard, and Tye Tribbett are all nominated. The category alone shows how wide the gospel lane has become, with artists representing live worship, traditional power, contemporary polish, and the kind of church-grown artistry that has long shaped Black music in America.
Person’s “Reflections” appears across several major categories, including Artist of the Year, Album of the Year, Albertina Walker Female Artist of the Year, Contemporary Female Artist of the Year, and Producer of the Year alongside Phillip Bryant. Walls’ “Heart of Mine” also makes a strong showing, landing in Artist of the Year, Male Artist of the Year, Album of the Year, and Contemporary Male Artist of the Year.
Leonard, one of gospel’s most recognizable contemporary voices, is nominated for Artist of the Year and Album of the Year for “TASHA.” Her collaboration with John Legend, “Church,” is also nominated for Contemporary Duo/Chorus Group of the Year, a reminder of how gospel continues to shape and intersect with mainstream music.
That crossover energy shows up elsewhere, too. Mariah Carey and The Clark Sisters are nominated in the Contemporary Duo/Chorus Group of the Year category for “Jesus I Do,” while Lecrae, T.I. and Killer Mike are nominated for Rap/Hip Hop Song of the Year for “Headphones.” For Black audiences, those categories tell a familiar story; Gospel has never been one-dimensional. It has always been in conversation with soul, R&B, hip-hop, pop, and the lived experiences of Black people.
Traditional gospel is also well represented. John P. Kee, a pillar in the genre, is nominated in multiple categories tied to “Throwback: An Evening with John P. Kee Part I,” including Male Artist of the Year, Traditional Male Artist of the Year, Traditional Album of the Year, and Traditional Artist of the Year with New Life. JJ Hairston & Youthful Praise, Ron Carter & Ricky Dillard, Lisa Knowles Smith & The Brown Singers, and others also appear throughout the traditional, choir, and special event album categories.
The Stellars also continue to make room for the next generation. New Artist of the Year nominees include Ablaze, Asaun Bynum, Bishop Charles Ellis & Greater Grace Worship Choir, and United Music & Arts Conference Choir. Meanwhile, the Rap/Hip Hop Gospel Album of the Year category includes projects from Childlike CiCi, Mike Teezy, Lecrae, and DFG SUL.
One of the most culturally significant categories for Black higher education is the HBCU Choir of the Year. This year’s nominees include the Howard Gospel Choir of Howard University, Morgan State University Choir, North Carolina A&T Fellowship Gospel Choir, Southern University Gospel Choir and The Fort Valley State University Choir. It is a category that honors more than just vocals. It recognizes the Black college choir tradition as a training ground for musicianship, ministry, and cultural memory.
The 41st Annual Stellar Gospel Music Awards are scheduled to take place Aug. 15 at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. For a genre that has shaped everything from civil rights anthems to chart-topping pop vocals, the night is expected to be more than an awards show. It is a reminder that gospel music remains one of Black America’s most enduring creative foundations.
