SPOTLIGHT of THE WEEK
"KAREN SHEARD"
(Nashville, Tenn) - BMI celebrated the best
in Gospel music today at the 2026 BMI Trailblazers of Gospel Music Awards held at BMI's Nashville office. Multiple award-winning
artist and songwriter Kierra Sheard received the BMI Impact Award in recognition of her
impressive career and impact on the future of Gospel music. Sheard was also honored as BMI's Gospel Songwriter of the Year
in a three-way tie with her brother J Drew Sheard II and Kerry Douglas. BMI's Gospel Song of the Year went to "Lead Me
On," and Publisher of the Year went to Capital CMG Publishing. The most-performed Gospel songs of the previous year were
also announced at the private ceremony hosted by BMI's CEO, Mike O'Neill; EVP, Chief Revenue & Creative Officer Mike Steinberg
and Vice President, Creative, Atlanta, Catherine Brewton.
Douglas and siblings Kierra Sheard and J Drew Sheard II received Songwriter of the Year for each writing three
of the most performed Gospel songs of the previous year. Douglas was honored for "Don't Give Up," "Windows"
and "Without You," bringing his total BMI Awards up to five, commemorating his successful career. J Drew and Kierra
Sheard were recognized for co-writing their hits "All Yours," "Rain Down on Me," and "Send It Down,"
marking the second time the duo has been honored with this coveted title, after their first win in 2022.
The BMI Impact Award tributes kicked off with a heartfelt video message
from Sheard's aunt and 2024 BMI Trailblazer of Gospel Music honoree Dorinda Clark-Cole, and her mother Karen Clark Sheard
also gave a moving speech congratulating her daughter for the "well-deserved honor."
To pay homage to Sheard's illustrious career, tribute performances kicked off with
Darrel Walls on "Indescribable," joined by DOE who gave a soulful rendition of "This is Me." Tasha Cobbs
Leonard ended the tributes by getting the crowd to their feet for an uplifting performance of "Hang On" with Karen
Clark Sheard and Tamela Mann singing along from the audience.
In
receiving the afternoon's highest honor, Sheard thanked her family and members of the audience, sharing, "God has a way
to reward faithfulness before He rewards popularity... and tonight is a reminder that if you keep saying yes, He knows exactly
where to find you." She added her appreciation to BMI, saying, "I want to thank you for pushing gospel music forward.
You make this industry worth staying in. What matters is what you represent, that someone still believes in a song that is
worth protecting and paying for."
The ceremony
concluded with Sheard bringing the audience to their feet singing her hit song "You Are."
Throughout the afternoon, BMI saluted the 25 most-performed gospel songs of the
previous year, leading up to the highly anticipated BMI Gospel Song of the Year award, which went to "Lead Me On"
co-written by Jonathan Jay, Chandler Moore and Jeff Pardo. Performed by Moore, the hit song was a lead single and a standout
track from his 2024 solo album, Chandler Moore: Live In Los Angeles. The song marked Moore's first number one as a solo artist
and spent an impressive 28 weeks on Billboard's Gospel Airplay charts overall.
The ceremony, which kicked off with a performance of "I Love the Lord" sung by Keyla Richardson,
also highlighted 16 first-time winners, including Adia, Jazze Pha, Travis Finley, Dustin "SLATE" Slater, Keran Vega
and more, for co-writing the award-winning songs.
BMI's
Gospel Publisher of the Year went to Capitol CMG for having the highest publisher share percentage of the top 25 songs, including
BMI's Gospel Song of the Year, "Lead Me On."
To
join the conversation on social media, follow us @BMI and use #BMIGospel. Please visit https://awards.bmi.com/show/trailblazers-2026
to see a full list of BMI's Trailblazers of Gospel Music Award honorees.
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(Source: Cr8 Agency)
