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.

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

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

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.

The upbeat gospel single, released only in Japan, raced to the top of the mainstream R&B charts and remained there for several weeks.

[13] "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.

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”)'.

[21] KiKi's Mixtape included two new songs - “Sing to the Lord”, co-written by Kierra and described as 'a high-octane amalgam of rock, CCR and power pop' and a 'bold and bracing' cover of Donny Hathaway's "This Christmas" with Marcus Cole.

Originally scheduled for a July 12, 2011 release, the album was leaked and subsequently pushed back and reformatted with a different track listing.

[25] Graceland also earned Sheard a nomination for Contemporary Female Vocalist of the Year at the 30th Annual Stellar Awards.

[27][28] The film's soundtrack, also starring Sheard, debuted at number 8 on the Billboard Top Gospel Albums chart, where it remained in its second week.

Sheard co-wrote the entire album, which includes a mix of studio and live tracks recorded in her hometown, Detroit.

[31] The album spawned 3 top 20 singles on the Hot Gospel Songs chart; "Don't Judge Me", "It Keeps Happening" and "Something Has To Break" (featuring Tasha Cobbs Leonard), the latter peaking at number 5.

[32][18] In April 2021, Sheard was featured on actor and rapper, Nick Cannon's rendition of Fred Hammond's gospel classic, No Weapon.

'[34] Sheard is a graduate of Wayne State University (her father's alma mater) in Detroit, Michigan, where she received her bachelor's degree in English with a minor in psychology.

Sheard has personally designed classic and refreshing looks for the professional curvy woman that is chic, sexy, bold and eclectic.

She has crisscrossed the globe and absorbed the fashion trends of New York City, London, Paris, Tokyo and Seoul.

In May 2023, Kelly's second book titled The Vibes You Feel: What I've Learned About Life and Relationships Through The Holy Spirit was set to be released.