Music / Religion
Kierra Sheard
born 1987 · singer, songwriter, evangelist
Detroit-born gospel singer, daughter of Karen Clark Sheard and granddaughter of Mattie Moss Clark, with five No. 1 gospel albums.
- Born
Detroit, Michigan
age 39- Birth name
- Kierra Valencia Sheard
- Also known as
- Kiki Sheard · Kierra Sheard-Kelly
- Detroit years
- 1987–
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
Kierra Sheard was born in Detroit and grew up in suburban West Bloomfield. At five she began singing in the choir of Greater Emmanuel Institutional Church of God in Christ, pastored by her father, Bishop J. Drew Sheard, and at nine she debuted on her mother's album Finally Karen, winning a Stellar Award for "The Will of God". She sang background for her mother, her aunt Dorinda Clark-Cole and the Clark Sisters before releasing I Owe You (2004) on EMI Gospel. This Is Me (2006) opened at No. 1 on the gospel chart and earned a Grammy nomination; Bold Right Life (2008) was named after her Detroit youth organization. The family starred in the BET series The Sheards (2013). Graceland (2014) and Kierra (2020), co-written by her and partly recorded in Detroit, also topped the gospel chart.
Highlights
- Recording debut at nine on Finally Karen (1997)
- This Is Me (2006): No. 1 gospel album, Grammy-nominated
- Five No. 1 albums on Billboard's Top Gospel Albums
- Starred in BET's The Sheards (2013)
02 / Their Detroit places
Their Detroit places 1
Where they lived, worked, performed and liked to hang out. Closed and demolished places stay here too, because they are part of the city's history.
Related place · 1980s–
Greater Emmanuel Institutional Church of God in Christ
She began singing in the choir of her father's church at age five.