BMI<\/b> celebrated the best in Gospel music this week at the 2026 BMI Trailblazers of Gospel Music Awards <\/b>held at BMI\u2019s Nashville office. Multiple award-winning artist and songwriter Kierra Sheard <\/b>received the BMI Impact Award<\/b> in recognition of her impressive career and impact on the future of gospel music. Sheard was also honored asBMI\u2019s Gospel Songwriter of the Year<\/b> in a three-way tie with her brother J Drew Sheard II <\/b>and Kerry Douglas.<\/b> BMI\u2019s Gospel Song of the Year<\/b> went to \u201cLead Me On,\u201d<\/b> and Publisher of the Year <\/b>went to Capital CMG Publishing.<\/b> The most-performed Gospel songs <\/b>of the previous year were also announced at the private ceremony hosted by BMI\u2019s CEO, Mike O\u2019Neill;<\/b> EVP, Chief Revenue & Creative Officer Mike Steinberg<\/b> and Vice President, Creative, Atlanta, Catherine Brewton.<\/b><\/p>\n
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Douglas<\/b> and siblings Kierra Sheard<\/b> and J Drew Sheard II<\/b> received Songwriter of the Year<\/b>for each writing three of the most performed Gospel songs of the previous year. Douglas was honored for \u201cDon’t Give Up,\u201d \u201cWindows\u201d and \u201cWithout You,\u201d bringing his total BMI Awards up to five, commemorating his successful career. J Drew and Kierra Sheard were recognized for co-writing their hits \u201cAll Yours,\u201d \u201cRAIN DOWN ON ME,\u201d and \u201cSend It Down,\u201d marking the second time the duo has been honored with this coveted title, after their first win in 2022.<\/p>\n
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The BMI Impact Award tributes kicked off with a heartfelt video message from Sheard\u2019s aunt and 2024 BMI Trailblazer of Gospel Music honoree Dorinda Clark-Cole,<\/b> and her mother Karen Clark Sheard <\/b>also gave a moving speech congratulating her daughter for the \u201cwell-deserved honor.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
To pay homage to Sheard\u2019s illustrious career, tribute performances kicked off with Darrel Walls <\/b>on \u201cIndescribable,\u201d joined by DOE<\/b> who gave a soulful rendition of \u201cThis is Me.\u201d Tasha Cobbs Leonard <\/b>ended the tributes by getting the crowd to their feet for an uplifting performance of \u201cHang On\u201d with Karen Clark Sheard <\/b>and Tamela Mann <\/b>singing along from the audience.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Upon presenting Sheard with the BMI Impact Award, Steinberg said, \u201cToday, we celebrate you for inspiring us through all your endeavors: your innovative songwriting, your powerful artistry and your ministry that touches hearts around the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
In receiving the afternoon\u2019s highest honor, Sheard thanked her family and members of the audience, sharing, \u201cGod has a way to reward faithfulness before He rewards popularity\u2026 and tonight is a reminder that if you keep saying yes, He knows exactly where to find you.\u201d\u00a0She added her appreciation to BMI, saying, \u201cI want to thank you for pushing gospel music forward.\u00a0You make this industry worth staying in.\u00a0What matters is what you represent, that someone still believes in a song that is worth protecting and paying for.\u201d<\/p>\n
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The ceremony concluded with Sheard bringing the audience to their feet singing her hit song \u201cYou Are.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Throughout the afternoon, BMI saluted the 25 most-performed gospel songs<\/b> of the previous year, leading up to the highly anticipated BMI Gospel Song of the Year <\/b>award, which went to \u201cLead Me On\u201d <\/b>co-written by Jonathan Jay, Chandler Moore <\/b>and Jeff Pardo.<\/b> 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\u2019s first number one as a solo artist and spent an impressive 28 weeks on Billboard\u2019s Gospel Airplay charts overall.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
BMI celebrated the best in Gospel music this week at the 2026 BMI Trailblazers of Gospel Music Awards held at BMI\u2019s 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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":20051,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,23,3401,2889],"tags":[692,3792,625,5413,4829,1652,49,6482],"class_list":["post-20050","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-artist-news-and-updates","category-awards","category-events","category-music","tag-bmi-trailblazers-gospel-music-awards","tag-hang-on","tag-j-drew-sheard","tag-karen-clark-sheard-2","tag-karew-entertainment","tag-kerry-douglas","tag-kierra-sheard","tag-send-your-power-down"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gospelflava.com\/v2\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/IMG_2365.jpeg?fit=1200%2C820&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":20046,"url":"https:\/\/gospelflava.com\/v2\/kerry-douglas-celebrated-at-bmi-event\/","url_meta":{"origin":20050,"position":0},"title":"Kerry Douglas Celebrated at BMI Event","author":"Gregory Gay","date":"July 24, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0BMI celebrated the best in Gospel music at the 2026 BMI Trailblazers of Gospel Music Awards held at BMI\u2019s Nashville office this week. \u00a0BMI honored the songwriters and publishers behind the past year\u2019s 25 most-performed Gospel songs and announced the Songwriters, Song, and Publisher of the Year. \u00a0Gospel, entertainment, and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Blacksmoke Music Worldwide\"","block_context":{"text":"Blacksmoke Music Worldwide","link":"https:\/\/gospelflava.com\/v2\/tag\/blacksmoke-music-worldwide\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gospelflava.com\/v2\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/IMG_2364.jpeg?fit=600%2C400&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gospelflava.com\/v2\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/IMG_2364.jpeg?fit=600%2C400&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gospelflava.com\/v2\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/IMG_2364.jpeg?fit=600%2C400&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6616,"url":"https:\/\/gospelflava.com\/v2\/bmi-and-eone-musics-trailblazers-album-debuts-at-10-on-gospel-chart\/","url_meta":{"origin":20050,"position":1},"title":"BMI and eOne Music's 'Trailblazers' Album Debuts at #10 on Gospel Chart","author":"Martin Williams","date":"November 4, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Broadcast Music Incorporated (BMI) and Entertainment One (eOne) Music \u00a0new release \"Trailblazers of Gospel Music Live 2013\" debut at #10 on the Billboard Gospel Charts. 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