Kierra "Kiki" Sheard
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| Kierra "Kiki" Sheard | ||
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 "Kiki" Sheard on a promo shot for her 2006 album, This Is Me.
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| Background information | ||
| Birth name | Kierra Valencia Sheard | |
| Also known as | "Kiki" or "Juliet" | |
| Born | June 20, 1987 | |
| Origin | Detroit, Michigan | |
| Genre(s) | gospel, christian R&B | |
| Occupation(s) | singer, songwriter | |
| Instrument(s) | vocals | |
| Years active | 1996-present | |
| Label(s) | EMI Gospel | |
| Associated acts |
Karen Clark Sheard J Moss The Clark Sisters Twinkie Clark Dorinda Clark Cole |
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| Website | KierraKiKiSheard.com | |
Contents |
[edit] Biography
Kierra "Kiki" Sheard is a Grammy Award-nominated American gospel recording artist. She is the daughter of gospel singer Karen Clark Sheard (member of the seminal gospel singing group The Clark Sisters) and the granddaughter of legendary gospel choral director Mattie Moss Clark.
Born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, Sheard spent her formative years surrounded by the strong influences of her family, their faith, and their music. At age 6, she began singing in the choir at Greater Emmanuel Institutional Church of God in Christ, pastored by her father Superintendent J. Drew Sheard. Even at a young age, Sheard had a preternatural grip on the signature "Clark sound" pioneered by her mother and aunts, executing high and fast melismas, riffs, runs, and deep, throaty growls sometimes referred to as "squalls" (the latter is prominently displayed on "Done Did It", a traditional gospel leaning track from her album I Owe You).
Sheard made her stage debut at the age of 10 duetting with her mother on the Twinkie Clark-penned "The Will Of God", the standout closing track from her mother's debut solo album Finally Karen in 1997. The song won a Stellar Award for Best Children's Performance the following year. In the years following, she honed her skills as a performer accompanying her mother on stage. By 2003, EMI Gospel won a bidding war between several record companies to sign Kierra to her first recording contract.
Her debut album I Owe You was released September 7, 2004. The 11-track set included production and songwriting from such notable music luminaries as Rodney Jerkins, Warryn Campbell, Erica and Tina Campbell of Mary Mary, J Moss, and Tonéx. The album also functioned as the production debut for her brother J Drew.
The following year, EMI commissioned a collection of remixes entitled Just Until... on August 2, 2005. The title of the stopgap release was abbreviated from its working title "Just Until The Next Record". The album had a surprise international hit in The Godson Concept remix of "Let Go". The upbeat gospel single, released only in Japan, raced to the top of mainstream R&B charts and remained there for several weeks.[1]
Shortly after graduating high school, Sheard readied her second album This Is Me. Repeating the same spectacular feat from her first release, this album debuted at #1 on the Billboard Gospel charts when it was released June 27, 2006.[2] A midtempo fan favorite, the Fred Jerkins III-produced "Why Me?" was chosen as the lead single for the album. Sheard's shot her first music videos for two subsequent singles from the album, "Yes" and "This Is Me". This Is Me was nominated for a Grammy for Best Contemporary R&B Gospel album in December 2006.[3]
Kierra is currently a freshman at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan where she is studying entertainment law. Though originally a criminal justice major, the decision to switch to entertainment law was definitely influenced by her growing career in the gospel music industry. Though her touring schedule has been curbed to accommodate her academic goals, Sheard did embark on a Japanese tour with her mother Karen Clark-Sheard in August 2006.
[edit] Discography
 Just Until |
 This Is Me |
 This Is Me: |
 This Is Me: |
[edit] Videography
Kierra filmed her first two videos for "This Is Me" and "Yes" simultaneously. Both songs are culled from her 2006 sophomore studio release This Is Me.
- "This Is Me" premiered on September 16, 2006. The video is for the Antonio Neal-produced "live session" version of the song, not to be confused with the Darkchild-produced studio version. The scenes alternate from Kiki driving a Ford Fusion, Kiki singing in a small gig, and Kiki singing in a curtained room.
- "Yes" consists of alternating scenes of Kiki Sheard in an old-fashioned General Motors vehicle and a party scene on top of a roof. The video premiered on The Gospel Music Channel and BET.
For further reference, Kierra Sheard has made video appearances on the DVD release Dorinda Clark Cole LIVE, singing background for Clark Cole throughout the set and being featured in a standout solo on "You Can't Hurry God". Also available is Karen Clark Sheard's Finally Karen Live (VHS only). This video features the now-classic 1997 Karen & Kierra duet performance that earned both artists Stellar awards in their respective fields.
[edit] Controversy
Fans speculate that Sheard's record company may be trying to actively downplay portrayal of her weight gain. Underscoring this belief is the fact that no proper music videos were shot in promotion of her debut album I Owe You despite its runaway commercial success. Also, in the music video for the single "Yes", most shots of Sheard are from the shoulders up and, in some cases, the midriff. No official sources verify the reason Sheard's full body is not shown. Though it is common in the music industry for promotions to favor female artists with slender frames, the increasing acceptance and appeal of plus sized models in society's standard of beauty has likely relaxed tensions about backlash against overweight artists.
[edit] References
- ^ Justin Camacho (January 5, 2006). 'Kiki' Sheard Tops Japanese Radio, Receives 3 Stellar Nominations. The Christian Times.
- ^ Kierra "Kiki" Sheard's ‘This Is Me’ debuts at #1. GospelCity.com (July 10, 2006).
- ^ 49th Annual Grammy Awards Nominee List. Grammy.com.
