Kierra, 17, is the daughter of Karen Clark-Sheard, a founding member of Gospel legends, the Clark Sisters, and who, since 1997, has been a celebrated solo artist in her own right. She's also the granddaughter of the late Dr. Mattie Moss Clark, the prodigious conductor, arranger, songwriter, singer, instrumentalist and teacher who is roundly credited as one the defining influences in all of Gospel music.
With Kierra's solo debut album, I Owe You, that incomparable family tradition is carried on in a voice and a sound that respects its roots, while taking the Gospel message to the masses in the cutting-edge urban, R&B and pop music of today.
"You Don't Know," co-written and produced by Grammy winning, superstar producer, Rodney Jerkins (Destiny's Child, Mary J. Blige, Jennifer Lopez, Will Smith, Joe, Kirk Franklin), is a driving, commanding hip-hop statement of God’s power and faithfulness in the lives of His children.
"This is really my testimony of all that God has done for me in my life," says Kierra. "It's important to me to share that with everyone, because it really let's them know where I'm coming from. There was an old traditional song of the church with the same title and idea of sharing our testimonies, and Rodney wrote a completely new song with that as the inspiration, and with a totally modern sound that young people today can latch onto."
"Praise Offering," a soaring, pop-flavored ballad of worship on which Kierra's amazing prowess is dazzlingly displayed, was written and produced by acclaimed producer/artist JMoss ('N Sync, Hezekiah Walker, Patti LaBelle, Ramiyah). The writer or co-writer, and producer of many of the songs on I Owe You, J. himself is part of the Moss/Clark family tree, and long ago enthusiastically committed himself to be an integral of Kierra's career.
J. also contributed the easy, infectiously funky "Church Nite," reflecting the importance of church in the life of Kiki and her teenaged peers. "Sweetest Thing" is a tender, gently grooving statement of love for the Lord. "War," written by Kierra and produced by her 14-year-old brother, J. Drew Sheard II, for his LT Productions, is an aggressive declaration of spiritual warfare, while "Done Did It," produced by Warren Campbell, is a joyous return to the traditional Gospel roots on which Kiki was raised.
Kierra, or "Kiki," as she is affectionately known, was born and raised in Detroit, where she and her family still reside, and grew up with a strong church foundation, surrounded by great music, teaching and preaching. When she began singing at the age of six in the children's choir of Detroit's Greater Emmanuel Institutional Church of God in Christ, pastored by her father, Rev. J. Drew Sheard, the full and extraordinary extent of her talents became immediately apparent.
"My mother passed away when Kierra was only seven," Karen recalls, "but before she died she told me that this baby was going to sing, and that I was to raise her in my shoes, and bring her up the way my mother had raised me."
Realizing the responsibility that both God and her mother had given her for Kierra's musical and spiritual development, Karen—herself a world-renowned vocalist—began to coach and nurture her daughter in singing, as well as in the lessons deeply engrained by her own mother of the responsibilities of representing Christ through Gospel music. With both technique and a presence that far surpassed her years, Kierra made her recording debut when she was nine, singing a duet with her mother on "The Safest Place," from Karen's chart-topping album, Finally Karen.
The popularity of "The Safest Place", and the warmth of the mother/daughter interaction conveyed in the accompanying music video, led to Kierra's stage debut when she was only 10, as she would often travel with her mother on tour to join her for the song before audiences that numbered in the thousands.
Though she can see those experiences as a blessing, and important part of the development of her talent at such a young age, "Kiki" also recalls them with a combination of wonderment and a child's natural nonchalance.
"It was exciting, and scary," she says, "and I guess I should have been nervous to be onstage with 'Karen Clark-Sheard,' but to me it was just my mother, and I was just singing along with Mommy, like I did at home, or anywhere."
It's hardly surprising that by that time Kierra had firmly decided upon a career in music. "I would watch the Clark Sisters and see how they touched and moved people," she remembers, "and they always looked like they were having such a good time just singing and praising God. They were always so positive, and happy, and I really paid attention and learned from hearing them and being around them. I saw that and it made me want to sing and minister to people my own age. When I got the chance to sing onstage myself, it just felt natural, like God was telling me that was what He wanted me to do."
While the venerable Dr. Mattie Moss Clark would never have stood for her daughters listening to any "secular" music, Kierra says that she's been given the freedom listen to and develop broad and contemporary musical tastes from a wide range of both mainstream and Gospel music, though always with the caution to never let the content of "worldly" music interfere with her anointing to sing and present the pure Gospel message. With diverse musical influences that run from urban superstar Mary J. Blige, and modern rockers Linkin Park, to Kirk Franklin and a whole host of contemporary Gospel artists, as well as her famous mother and aunts and the pantheon of traditional Gospel artists who preceded them, Kierra's own style creates a fresh mix that puts her in a place all her own.
"I grew up on traditional Gospel, and I always want part of what I do to be songs that my elders, as well as kids my age, can enjoy," she says. "But I really feel a calling to reach kids my own age with the message of Christ with a contemporary sound that they can relate to and get into."
"Kiki" has continued to perform, when her schooling allows, with both her mother as well as on occasional Clark Sisters "reunion" dates. She's also shared the stage with a gamut of musical luminaries that runs from Mary, Mary, and Donnie McClurkin to Mary J. Blige, one of a large and formidable number of secular artists who profess a huge creative debt to the Clark Sisters, and who, herself, finds particular inspiration in Kierra's music as well.
"The night of the Mary J. Blige concert, she asked Mom to join her onstage during her set," Kierra recalls, "and she asked her if I was there, too. When Mom told her that I was, she asked me to join them, and of course I did. It was a powerful moment, and an opportunity to minister to a lot of people who might never come to a 'Gospel' concert."
"And Kierra blew them away," Karen adds, with a mother's unrestrained pride. "Afterwards, Mary couldn't stop talking about how much 'Kiki' had ministered to her. And with I Owe You I think she's going to impact her entire generation that very same way."
"I want to demonstrate to young people that you don't have to live in sin to have fun and enjoy yourself," Kierra concludes. "I think I Owe You will show that there's even greater joy, and lasting joy, in singing and praising God, and in our own voice and our own style of music."
Indescribable
Kierra Kiki Sheard Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Creations revealing Your majesty
From the colors of fall to the fragrance of spring
Every creature unique in the song that it sings
All exclaiming
Indescribable, uncontainable,
You place the stars in the sky and You know
All powerful, untamable, awestruck we fall to our knees as we humbly
Proclaim, You are amazing God
Who sees lightning bolts and tells them where they should go or
Sees heavenly store houses laden in snow
Who imagined the sun and gave source to it's light
Yet conceals it to bring us the coolness of night
None can fathom
Incomparable, unchangeable,
You've seen the depths of my heart and You love
Me the same, You are amazing God
You are amazing God
Indescribable, uncontainable,
You place the stars in the sky and You know
Them by name, You are amazing God
All powerful, untamable, awestruck we fall to our knees as we humbly
Proclaim, You are amazing God
You are amazing God
You are amazing God
You are amazing God
You are amazing God
You are amazing God
The lyrics in Kierra Kiki Sheard's song Indescribable expresses the awe-inspiring grandeur of God's creation. The lyrics declare that God's majesty is evident in everything, from the highest heights to the depths of the sea, from the colors of fall to the fragrance of spring, and that every creature has a unique song to sing in praise of its Creator. The lyrics praise God for His power and majesty, declaring that God is indescribable and uncontainable, yet He is loving, and He knows the depths of our hearts. The lyrics describe a God who is powerful and untamable, who can even tell lightning bolts where to go and who imagines the sun and the moon, giving source to its light.
Kierra Kiki Sheard's song Indescribable reminds us that God's power and majesty are beyond our comprehension, and that we are insignificant in comparison. But despite this, we can still proclaim His greatness and declare Him amazing God. Through the lyricist's reverence and awe for God's majesty and power, the song encourages listeners to worship God in humility and wonderment.
Overall, Indescribable is a song that encourages worshippers to contemplate the wonder of God's creation and to praise Him for everything He has done.
Line by Line Meaning
From the highest of heights to the depths of the sea
Your majesty is visible in all of creation, from the highest point to the lowest point of the earth.
Creations revealing Your majesty
The nature and everything you have created reveals your power and greatness.
From the colors of fall to the fragrance of spring
Every season, every cycle of nature reminds us of your grace and power.
Every creature unique in the song that it sings
Every living creature has its own unique way of reflecting your glory and praises you in its own way.
All exclaiming
Everything in creation is rejoicing and praising your greatness.
Indescribable, uncontainable,
You are beyond words and understanding. Your power cannot be contained or limited by anything.
You place the stars in the sky and You know Them by name,
You have created countless stars that light up the sky, and you know each one of them by name.
You are amazing God
You are a God who inspires awe and amazement in all those who witness your glory and power.
All powerful, untamable, awestruck we fall to our knees as we humbly Proclaim, You are amazing God
Your power is beyond human comprehension, and we are humbled by it. We fall to our knees in awe and confess that you are an amazing God.
Who sees lightning bolts and tells them where they should go or Sees heavenly storehouses laden in snow
You control the lightning and the snow, and they obey your commands.
Who imagined the sun and gave source to its light Yet conceals it to bring us the coolness of night
You have created the sun, which is the source of light and warmth, but you also make it disappear to provide us with coolness and darkness.
None can fathom
Your greatness and power are beyond human comprehension and imagination.
Incomparable, unchangeable, You've seen the depths of my heart and You love Me the same, You are amazing God
There is no one like you - you are unique and cannot be compared to any other. You know the depths of our hearts, and yet you love us the same. Truly, you are an amazing God.
You are amazing God
You are a God of wonder and amazement, and above all, you are amazing in every way.
You are amazing God
You continue to reveal your greatness and glory in all of creation. Truly, you are an amazing God.
You are amazing God
All of creation witnesses to your greatness and power, reminding us that indeed, you are an amazing God.
You are amazing God
We cannot help but repeat, again and again, that you are an amazing God.
You are amazing God
You continue to inspire awe and amazement in all of us, and we will continue to confess that you are an amazing God.
Lyrics © CAPITOL CHRISTIAN MUSIC GROUP
Written by: Laura Story, Jesse Reeves
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind