It’s a long-awaited reunion for recording artists BeBe and CeCe Winans as the brother and sister duo return to the stage together in August to host the 40th Anniversary of the Stellar Awards.
It’s a milestone year for the singers whose careers began together in 1982 as the “PTL singers” on the Christian show, “Praise the Lord.”
Since then, the siblings have released several award-winning albums, including at least three that reached gold and one that went platinum.
The Stellar Awards will bring them back together as co-hosts and performers.
BeBe and CeCe Winans told CBN News’ Studio 5 why they decided to say yes to hosting the awards show.
CeCe Winans said, “Well, I kind of dragged him in. First of all, Don (Stellar Awards Founder) is such an awesome person, and he was a blessing to us years ago. But they asked and they asked, and they asked again. But it’s been 40 years…And so that’s why we just said yes because God has been good to us. It’s been 40 years, 41 years since we came out. So, it’s like perfect. Yeah, you couldn’t have made this up any better. So, I think it’s a good thing. It was time.”
“People need to see and hear good news and there are those who have wanted to see us together, but our lives are separate lives and everything…[It] was an easy yes…because people need encouragement, people need hope, and sometimes you can see something that can trigger hope inside of someone else,” Bebe added.
Millions of fans want to see the duo back together on an album of new music and a tour. Now with this reunion, the siblings revealed they will at least perform together at the Stellar Awards.
“We’re just hosting right now…We’ll do something together that night. But that’s all that’s in the plans and the works right now,” CeCe said.
The Winans siblings have been a part of the Stellar Awards numerous times throughout the years, and this forthcoming show sparks many fond memories for the two of them.
“I saw something not too long ago…the first annual Stellar Awards was my brothers singing on the show and helping to bring everything to fruition. So, there are a lot of great memories, but that is one of my favorites, just watching it, seeing its birth and now we’re 40 years down the road,” Bebe Winans revealed.
“I’m sure they’re going to bring up a lot of videos that we don’t want to see,” Cece Winans added. “A lot of hairdos that I don’t know what I was thinking about at the time.”
The special night will require a lot of preparation for these popular members of the gospel-singing family and they shared with CBN News what that process looks like.
“It’s like getting on a bike again and when you get to this point, you know that you’re depending on God totally and not your voice and not your talent,” BeBe explained. “So, therefore there’s no fear that you would have 40 years ago.”
“[We’re] just preparing mentally, being prayerful. Again, like BeBe said, we can’t depend on our talents and our gifts…So, we’ll be praying and expecting God to do what only he can do,” CeCe added.
As a singing duo, BeBe and CeCe Winans have received numerous awards including several Grammys, Dove, and Stellar Awards. It’s an honor neither of them takes lightly.
“It’s encouragement, but at the same time, you realize it is just that. You have to have a mind to serve God and do what you’ve [been] called to do. Whether they call your name or whether they do not call your name, whether you’re sitting on the first row, or the fifth row makes no difference when you know [what] you’re doing and you’re in the will of God,” BeBe told CBN News.
“For me, it is very humbling. We realized after so many years, I think we realized even when we were young that people don’t have to honor you. It’s a lot of good music out there that has never been acknowledged or given awards. So it’s very humbling when I think about the awards we have together, the Hollywood Walk of Fame, I mean just stuff that we didn’t even pray for years ago that God gave us. It is very humbling and so we appreciate every award that we get,” CeCe Winans shared.
As for hosting the 40th Annual Stellar Awards, both BeBe and CeCe Winans have visions and prayers for the event.
CeCe said, “I hope it’s a night of family celebrating, worshiping our God, and all of us really understanding how blessed we are to be able to do what we do. So, like Bebe said…we’re expecting to have a party.”
“And encourage the gospel genre [also],” Bebe added. “The coming together, I believe, will spark some of those viewers and everything else [will] expose what talent we have.”
CeCe Winans added that the message will be clear that night that ” [gospel music] is alive and well.”
BeBe and CeCe Winans are set to host the 40th Stellar Gospel Awards in Nashville, TN at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center on August 16th.
