Karen Clark Sheard

Karen Clark-Sheard is a beloved gospel singer and songwriter from Detroit who rose to fame as the youngest member of <a href="spotify:artist:6VUdDU44uo3KwSHc9lAEFE">the Clark Sisters</a>, one of the most popular gospel groups of the '80s and '90s. Beginning with 1997's Grammy-nominated Finally Karen, Clark-Sheard launched a solo career of her own, consistently crossing over onto the pop charts with releases like 2nd Chance (2002), It's Not Over (2006), and Destined to Win (2015); the latter became her biggest chart success to date. She is also the mother of gospel powerhouse <a href="spotify:artist:4x3CdMQ3YjnPn4Evhyni5y">Kierra "Kiki" Sheard</a>, which whom she frequently collaborates and who portrayed her in the 2020 film The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel. Following a <a href="spotify:artist:6VUdDU44uo3KwSHc9lAEFE">Clark Sisters</a> reunion album, The Return, and subsequent tour, Clark-Sheard released her seventh solo album, Still Karen, in 2024.

Born and raised in Detroit, Karen was the youngest of six siblings born to Elbert Clark, a reverend, and <a href="spotify:artist:3QXWLeuG1N6oaTJkjbmwGL">Mattie Moss Clark</a>, a respected choir director. She began singing with her sisters Denise, <a href="spotify:artist:2izm16Jd9ifkaqR5fxzlTK">Dorinda</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:6D0J9ku8gy6BoiRwBsslJH">Twinkie</a>, and Jacky at the age of seven and she stayed with them through <a href="spotify:artist:6VUdDU44uo3KwSHc9lAEFE">the Clark Sisters</a>' most successful years until she started a solo career in 1997. She was inspired to strike out on her own by producer/songwriter <a href="spotify:artist:2SkIiDmOxLJlgSq7oeKH2W">Stanley Brown</a>. He had heard her sing "Don't Give Up" with the Island Inspirational All-Stars (with <a href="spotify:artist:4akybxRTGHJZ1DXjLhJ1qu">Kirk Franklin</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:40tzRHO6w4wROAdb6Sr21l">Donald Lawrence</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:0pXt4sMs2oRnt528LTYgyd">Hezekiah Walker</a>) and suggested she work as a solo artist. With the blessing of her sisters, Clark-Sheard decided to make a solo record for Island Inspirational Records and the result was Finally Karen, released in the fall of 1997. The album was produced by <a href="spotify:artist:40tzRHO6w4wROAdb6Sr21l">Donald Lawrence</a>, James Moss, and <a href="spotify:artist:2SkIiDmOxLJlgSq7oeKH2W">Stanley Brown</a>, and featured large portions that had been recorded live in Detroit with <a href="spotify:artist:57d6a3ex4tB3hO0WE1hC1V">the Tri-City Singers</a>. A success on both the gospel and R&B charts, Finally Karen was nominated for a Grammy and featured the first recorded appearance of Clark-Sheard's daughter, <a href="spotify:artist:4x3CdMQ3YjnPn4Evhyni5y">Kierra</a>, who was just nine years old.

After a minor surgery unexpectedly resulted in a near-death experience, she was inspired to write her next album, 2nd Chance. Unlike her debut, 2nd Chance was recorded entirely in the studio and also marked her debut for <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Elektra%22">Elektra</a>. Subsequent live releases, The Heavens Are Telling and It's Not Over continued to fare well commercially and keep Clark-Sheard in the charts. 2010's studio album All in One was the first release on her own <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Karew+Records%22">Karew Records</a> and was something of a comeback, charting at number three on the gospel chart and cracking Billboard's Top 100 pop chart. She also won a Grammy Award for the song "Wait on the Lord" with Donnie McClurkin. Five years later, in the summer of 2015, Clark-Sheard released the live album Destined to Win, which became her most successful album to date, topping even her debut. In 2010, a television biopic about <a href="spotify:artist:6VUdDU44uo3KwSHc9lAEFE">the Clark Sisters</a> (in which Karen was portrayed by her daughter <a href="spotify:artist:4x3CdMQ3YjnPn4Evhyni5y">Kierra</a>) coincided with the release of The Return, a reunion album. <a href="spotify:artist:6VUdDU44uo3KwSHc9lAEFE">The Clark Sisters</a> then mounted a reunion tour in 2023 and continued to perform occasionally. The success of the reunion inspired Clark-Sheard to revisit the style of her first two solo records on 2024's Still Karen. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi