Summer Walker dealt with some social anxiety at the Soul Train Awards last year, but the winner of the Best New Artist award has been able to fight it since. She’s released songs with 21 Savage (“Secre”) and Khalid (“Eleven [Remix]” and also shared the Life on Earth EP earlier this year. She also connected with Usher for a special performance at the 2020 BET Awards.

Lucky Daye’s 2019 was spectacular, with him being nominated for four separate Grammy awards in addition to nearly winning the Best New Artist trophy at the Soul Train Awards. He’s shaping up to make the rest of this year special, with the release of a deluxe version of Pained as well with collaborations with artists like Kehlani and Spillage Village.

Mahalia had just released her sophomore album, Love and Compromise, right before last year’s ceremony, so it would have been fine for her to take a break afterwards. Instead, she’s done the opposite, releasing acoustic and pandemic influenced tracks on YouTube for her hungry fans.

Nicole Bus’ strong vocals made her nearly certain to win the Best New Artist award. She’s retained that power this year, performing live in NYC during the pandemic. She's also released the video for “Rain” and shared beat-making videos with fans. Her work ethic makes her a surefire win for a Soul Train Award in the near future.

Who could forget Pink Sweat$ mesmerizing performance at the 2019 Soul Train Awards? He released The Prelude EP in July and hasn’t taken his foot off the pedal. Is it too late to lock him in for another spectacular show? He has an entire array of fresh music that he would wow the audience with.

YK Osiris had a huge year in 2019 with “Worth It,” making him one of R&B’s rising heavy-hitters. He has kept his foot on the pedal in 2020 with the release of songs like “Fake No Mo,” “Leave Me On Read,” and “Money Keep Coming.” What’s next for the rising crooner and rapper? The sky's the limit.