( ENSPIRE Entertainment ) Gospel Legend Karen Clark Sheard is Back in Her Element
ENSPIRE Contributor: Megan Grosfeld
Karen Clark Sheard, four-time GRAMMY-winning singer, musician, songwriter, entrepreneur, and First Lady of COGIC (Church of God in Christ) has recently signed a partnership deal with Karew Records and globally acclaimed label Motown Gospel (a division of Capitol CMG/Capitol and Universal Music Group). The gospel legend plans to release her first new album over half a decade later this year.
The album will follow Clark Sheard’s 2015 live album Destined To Win, her highest-charting album in her solo career, and her 2010 studio album All In One, which earned her a GRAMMY, Stellar, Dove, and BET Award nominations, remaining the largest selling release of her solo career to date.
“I am honored and excited to partner with Motown Gospel,” shares Karen Clark Sheard. “I’m passionate about encouraging, inspiring and uplifting people through my music, and I can’t wait to share it with my long-time supporters and with the world.”
Karen Clark Sheard first rose to prominence as the youngest sibling in The Clark Sisters, the group credited with bringing gospel music to the mainstream. Formed by their mother, Dr. Mattie Moss Clark, when Clark Sheard was a teenager, the five sisters released their national crossover hit “You Brought The Sunshine” in 1981. Family is a big part of Clark Sherard’s life and is the center of her musical success, having been vocally trained professionally by her mother. The song was a hit and reached churches and dancefloors alike, climbing to the top of several Billboard charts.
Ever since Clark Sheard broke off from The Clark Sisters in 1997, she has proven to be a solo force to be reckoned with. She since has released five studio albums and two live albums, garnering multiple Grammy, Dove, NAACP Image, Soul Train, and Stellar Awards nominations along the way. Clark Sheard is renowned for her signature multi-octave vocal range and has been considered an inspiration and influence by a variety of well-known artists of today, including Beyonce, Mariah Carey, Kanye West, and many more.
In 2020, Lifetime released a biopic on the lives and musical journey of The Clark Sisters entitled The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel. The well-known voices of Queen Latifah, Missy Elliott, and Mary J. Blige produced the film. The biopic had become Lifetime’s highest-rated original movie in years, leaving audiences wanting more. Later in 2020, the Clark Sisters appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, performing an unprecedented 17-minute mini-concert medley of their songs–including “You Brought The Sunshine”–for the program.
Clark Sheard currently serves as the First Lady of the Church of God in Christ, not only a global Christian denomination comprising over 8.8-million members but also the largest Black organization in the world. She is happily married to Bishop J. Drew Sheard–who was elected Presiding Bishop of the Church of God in Christ denomination last year–and together, they have two children, Kierra Sheard and John Drew “J. Drew” Sheard II. Clark Sheard and her husband, Bishop J. Drew Sheard partnered to launch Karew Records, which counts not only Clark Sheard but her daughter Kierra Sheard, as well as The Clark Sisters, on its artist roster. Although busier than ever, Clark Sheard continues to produce music and expand the reach of Karew Records. Her future holds multiple albums planned for release on the label.
Motown Gospel is a leader in the Christian and Gospel music industry, representing over twenty years of iconic and genre-defining sounds. A division of Capitol CMG/Universal Music Group, the world’s leading Christian music company and market leader in recorded music, distribution, and music publishing, the Motown Gospel has included Tasha Cobbs Leonard, Smokie Norful, Tye Tribbett, Brian Courtney Wilson, Kierra Sheard, The Clark Sisters and more.
Stay tuned for new music and more from Karen Clark Sheard later this year.
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