Kierra Gray is a contemporary singer-songwriter and the Director of The Young Musician's University. She is often described as a storyteller through song. Her father, a professional musician, and mother opened up a music school where Kierra was introduced to the piano at the age of 4. She continued her musical journey taking lessons in drums, guitar, voice, and violin. Through her exploration of music, she discovered that her real passion was songwriting.
Gray was selected as a 2018 National YoungArts Winner in the Voice/Singer-Songwriter discipline. She was flown out to Miami, Florida for a week of intensive masterclasses and performances. While there, she got to work with Tony award-winning vocal coach and therapist, Joan Lader, and Grammy award-winning artist, Lisa Fischer. Gray also had the amazing opportunity to be mentored by the late, Grammy award-winning, Betty Wright. Kierra provided two original songs for the 2020 Korean documentary, Permission to Exist. Her debut single, "Kitty Kat," a female empowerment song about friendship and sisterhood, was released on International Women's Day, March 8th, 2020. She released her second single, "Slow Down," after witnessing the effects of the COVID pandemic causing a global standstill.
Gray was also selected to write a song for the National YoungArts Foundation's 2020 Fall Art Exhibition, do it (home). You can find the song, "Look Straight Don't See," on YouTube and on the YoungArts Exhibition website. In April 2021, Kierra did a Songwriting Workshop for The People's Forum, a nonprofit organization in New York, teaching students from all over the US and the world; including India, Africa, Chile, and various parts of America. Then in August 2021, Kierra was a singer-songwriter panelist, alongside Grammy-award-winning artist Grace Weber, and USC Thorton Songwriting Professor, Chris Sampson for the National YoungArts Competition Info Session for students ages 15-18. Gray's song "All The Simple Things"
was named Honorable Mention in Songdoor's 2022 International Songwriting Competition, and was officially released on January 5th, 2023. Three days later, she debuted the song with a performance
at the 2023 YoungArts Welcome Dinner in Miami, Florida for all of their national finalists.