| Wednesday 22 February 2006 |
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Back from the dead
 | For gospel's Karen Clark Sheard, music ministry has always been a fact of life. As one of the Clark Sisters, she and sisters Dorinda, Twinkie and Jacky revolutionized the genre in ways that still reverberate throughout the industry. But Karen didn't stop there. She began a solo career in 1997 with Finally Karen, taking her distinctive vocal acrobatics to a new audience. Since then, she's weathered a life-threatening illness, produced three more well-received albums, and balanced her roles as a first lady and mother of two talented teens with a busy career and growing speaking ministry. In this interview, she talks about her new album, It's Not Over, her growth as a writer, her interaction with mainstream artists, and why she's recorded a favorite song... again. A lot of mainstream artists mention you as an influence. And you've had the opportunity to collaborate, to sing onstage or to minister. Would you share about that?
It's really an honor to be recognized by such mega-artists. I was asked to sing one of Mariah Carey's inspirational songs on a tribute album for her, and I thought that was so awesome. I felt like it was so major just to have been asked. I was told that when she heard that I'd be part of the project, she was jumpin' up like I was a mega-star.
When I finally got a chance to talk with her, she began to cry and told me that she'd admired me from afar. That was really encouraging, because I've been criticized for locking arms with secular artists. But I know that I'm ministering to those artists as well as having a good time together. When I hear that someone was blessed by my music, or helped out of a difficult situation, that lets me know that I'm doing what God called me to do. So if I have to be talked about and criticized, so be it, as long as God gets the glory. (excerpt from Christian Music Today)
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