( ENSPIRE Entertainment ) Oscar & Grammy Award-Winning Singer H.E.R. Takes The Stage to Open This Year’s URBAN ONE HONORS Presented by T-Mobile
ENSPIRE Contributor: LaShonda Thompson
H.E.R., the Oscar and Grammy Award-winning singer has been announced as the opening act for this year’s URBAN ONE HONORS. Hosted by Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter, and producer Ne-Yo, 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.
H.E.R 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. In addition, 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. Wireless provider T-Mobile, America’s 5G leader with the largest, fastest, and most reliable 5G network, 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.”
TV & Radio Personality Eva Marcille will host a special backstage pass segment featuring exclusive interviews with the show’s honorees, performers, and presenters.
URBAN ONE HONORS is presented by TV One and Radio One’s Washington D.C. market’s cluster of radio stations: Majic 102.3 and 92.7, WKYS 93.9, Praise 104.1, WOL 1450, Spirit 1340, and The Team 980 and 95.9. The televised event heralds the accomplishments of individuals who have made extraordinary contributions in entertainment, media, music, education, and the community.
URBAN ONE HONORS is Executive Produced by Eric Tomosunas and Robert A. Boyd, II of Swirl Films. Marilyn Gill is the show’s Executive Producer. Kim Burse serves as Musical Director. Kashon Powell is the Vice President of Programming for Radio One, and Susan Henry is the Executive Producer in Charge of Production for TV One.
ABOUT TV ONE
Launched in January 2004, TV One serves 43 million households, offering a broad range of real-life and entertainment-focused original programming, classic series, movies, and music designed to entertain and inform a diverse audience of adult black viewers. The network represents the best in black culture, and entertainment with fan favorite shows Unsung, Uncensored, ATL Homicide, Fatal Attraction, and Urban One Honors. In addition, TV One is the cable home of original blockbuster films, including When Love Kills: The Falicia Blakely Story, Love Under New Management: The Miki Howard Story, Bobbi Kristina, and The Bobby DeBarge Story. TV One is solely owned by Urban One, Inc., formerly known as Radio One, Inc. [NASDAQ: UONE and UONEK, www.urban1.com], the largest African-American-owned multi-media company primarily targeting Black and urban audiences.
ABOUT SWIRL FILMS
Swirl Films is America’s “number one urban film production company,” a full-service film & television production company with over 60 original productions in the past six years, focusing on urban content and programming, independent features, and multi-camera productions. Swirl Films is a major content provider for TV One, including the original productions: Love Under New Management: The Miki Howard Story (2016), which was TV One’s first-ever biopic, starring LisaRaye McCoy, Vanessa Bell Calloway, Darius McCrary, Indirah Khan, and Teyonah Parris as Howard. According to the network, the film broke record ratings, undeniably becoming the top original film in the network’s history, drawing in 2 million views, resulting in the network’s highest rating week ever. Quickly surpassing those numbers is TV One’s #1 original premiere of all time, When Love Kills: The Falicia Blakely Story (2017), starring Lance Gross, Niatia Kirkland, and Tami Roman, directed by actress Tasha Smith. Swirl Films previous production credits for TV One include Born Again Virgin, starring Danielle Nicolet, Meagan Holder, and Eva Marcille; Here We Go Again, starring LeToya Luckett, Wendy Raquel Robinson, and Kyndall Ferguson; Russ Parr’s award-winning film, The Under shepherd, Hear No Evil and 35 & Ticking (Kevin Hart).
Follow the Instagram accounts of H.E.R. and Ne-Yo to keep up with the artist.
Related article: TV One’s Celebration of “Women Leading the Change” at the Annual Urban One Honors
