Kierra Sheard

Further to this, "God in Me" was awarded for "Outstanding Song" at the 41st NAACP Image Awards.

Kierra Valencia "Kiki" Sheard-Kelly (born June 20, 1987) is an American gospel singer and evangelist.

She is the daughter of gospel singer Karen Clark-Sheard and COGIC Presiding Bishop J. Drew Sheard and the granddaughter of gospel choral director Mattie Moss Clark.

Sheard made her professional recording debut at the age of 9, on her mother's debut solo album Finally Karen (1997).

The song "The Will Of God" won a Stellar Award for Best Children's Performance.

In the following years, Sheard performed as background vocalist for her mother, aunt Dorinda Clark-Cole and the Clark Sisters.

Her hit single You Don't Know was inspired by her mother almost losing her life in 2001 to a fatal blood clot.

Sheard portrayed her mother in the hit Lifetime movie, The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel.

Born in Detroit, Michigan, and raised in the suburb of West Bloomfield, Sheard spent her formative years surrounded by the influences of her family, their faith, and their music.

At age 5, she began singing in the choir at Greater Emmanuel Institutional Church of God in Christ, pastored by her father, Bishop J. Drew Sheard.

In 2002, Sheard was featured on Clark-Cole's self-titled debut album.

In 2003, she featured on her mother's third album, The Heavens Are Telling, on "You Loved Me" (a gospel cover of Jill Scott's "He Loves Me (Lyzel In E Flat)") and alongside J. Moss on "Don't Change".

That same year, EMI Gospel won a bidding war among several record companies to sign Sheard.

After appearing on her mother's (most notably, the seminal Finally Karen) and aunt's albums, Sheard debuted to the music scene with the release of her debut album I Owe You in 2004.

Her debut album I Owe You was released on September 7, 2004.

The 11-track set included production and songwriting from Rodney Jerkins, Warryn Campbell, Erica and Tina Campbell of Mary Mary, Sheard's cousin J. Moss, and Tonéx.

The album also functioned as the production debut for her Brother J Drew.

With the release of I Owe You, Sheard became the first new artist in Billboard history to debut at number one on the Top Gospel Albums chart.

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 the mainstream R&B charts and remained there for several weeks.

Shortly after graduating high school, Sheard readied her second album, This Is Me.

It debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Top Gospel Albums chart when it was released on June 27, 2006.

A midtempo fan favorite, the Fred Jerkins III-produced "Why Me?"

was chosen as the lead single for the album.

Sheard shot her first music videos for two subsequent singles from the album, "Yes" and "This Is Me".

The album was Grammy Award-nominated for Best Contemporary R&B Gospel Album in December 2006.

In addition to performing at the 2007 Stellar Awards ("Why Me?"), Sheard appeared on BET's Celebration of Gospel, standing in for pregnant Faith Evans in "Endow Me" (as popularized by Sheard's mother and aunts) along with Coko, Lil' Mo, and Fantasia.

Sheard also sang with her mother for A Tribute to Aretha Franklin.

In 2008, Sheard featured on Mary Mary's crossover hit, "God in Me", from The Sound album.

"God in Me" became Sheard's first appearance on the US Hot 100, where it peaked at number 68.

Furthermore, the single broke the Billboard record for the longest chart-run by a group and longest chart-run by a gospel song on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, where it spent a total of 74 weeks and peaked at number 5.

"God in Me" was also a major hit on Billboard's Dance Club and Hot Gospel Songs charts, peaking at number one on both and spending 7 consecutive weeks atop the latter.

In October 2008, Sheard released her third album, Bold Right Life.

Named after Sheard's youth organization in Detroit, the album was described by Billboard as a 'powerful mix of R&B/hip-hop, pop, rock and traditional gospel' which 'shifts from a hot uptempo beat (opener “Won’t Hold Back”) to pop (“My Boyfriend”) then to rock (“Invisible”) and traditional (“Praise Him Now”)'.

The album's two lead singles were "Praise Him Now" and "Won't Hold Back".

"Praise Him Now" peaked at number 7 on the US Hot Gospel Songs chart, whilst "Love Like Crazy" became Sheard's second Japanese hit, peaking at number 7 on the Japan Hot 100.

In January 2009, Sheard performed the Clark Sisters' "Jesus Is a Love Song" at the BMI Trailblazers Luncheon in honor of her aunt Elbernita "Twinkie" Clark.

The same year, Sheard released a compilation, KiKi's Mixtape, on September 22, 2009.