Conya Doss
Conya Doss | |
|---|---|
 Conya Doss performing at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio, in February 2003 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Conya Doss |
| Born | June 13, 1972 Cleveland, Ohio, United States |
| Genres | R&B, neo soul |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, music producer, educator |
| Instrument(s) | voice, organ |
| Years active | 1995–present |
| Labels | Conya Doss Songs, Inc., Dome, Orpheus |
| Website | https://www.conyadoss.com |
Conya Doss (born June 13, 1970) is an American singer-songwriter, music producer, and educator. She is known as The Queen of Indie Soul.[1]
In the late 1990s, Doss formed a music duo called Lyrik. After the duo disbanded, she released her debut album A Poem About Ms. Doss (2002),[2] which featured the single "Coffee", which gained substantial airplay from the Cleveland area radio stations. In 2004, Doss formed her own independent record label Conya Doss Songs, Inc. and released her second album, Just Because.[3]
She released seven more albums on her own label including: Love Rain Down (2006), Still... (2008), Blü Transition (2010), A Pocketful of Purpose (2012), Seven: VII (2015), Clear (2018), and Through Rose-Colored Glasses (2021).[4]
Early life
[edit]Conya Doss was born on April 13, 1972, in Cleveland, Ohio, to Carolyn Pruitt (née Doss), a therapeutic program worker, and Ronald Pruitt. She also has two other siblings Devaughn Reed and Tamara Pruitt. Doss enrolled in the Cleveland School of the Arts where she graduated in 1990.[5] She received her teaching credential from the Cleveland Metropolitan School District and became a teacher of special education.
Career
[edit]1995–2004: Career beginnings
[edit]In 1995, Doss performed background vocals on Elaine Richardson's song "The Whole Shebang". In the late 1990s, Doss formed a short-lived music duo called Lyrik with childhood friend and singer Stacy Richardson. In 2000, Doss worked with American girl group 3LW. She co-wrote the song "I Think You Should Know" and vocally arranged the song "Ocean" for their debut self-titled album in December 2000.[6] Doss released her debut album A Poem About Ms. Doss in August 2002 on Orpheus Records.[2] The album featured the single "Coffee", a minor local hit in the Cleveland area.
In November 2004, she released her second album Just Because on her own independent record label Conya Doss Songs, Inc.[3] The album spawned the singles "Missin' You" and "Damn That".[7]
2005–2013: Love Rain Down and career breakthrough
[edit]In August 2006, Doss released her third album Love Rain Down.[8] The album's lead single "Tell Me Why" received positive reviews from music critics.[9] In April 2008, she released her fourth album Still...[10] The album's lead single "What I'd Do" peaked at number 79 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.[11] The song earned Doss a nomination for "Best Underground Artist" at the BETJ Virtual Awards.[12] In 2008, Doss won Female Vocalist of the Year at annual Soultracks Readers' Choice Awards.[13] In September 2010, she released her fifth album Blü Transition, which spawned the singles "What We Gone Do" and "All in You".[14] In April 2012, she released her sixth album A Pocketful of Purpose. The album's lead single "Don't Change" peaked at number 72 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.[15]
2014–present: Current projects
[edit]In 2015, she released her seventh album Seven: VII, which spawned the single "Don't Change". She released her eighth album Clear in 2018, followed by her ninth album 'Through Rose-Colored Glasses in 2021.
Personal life
[edit]In 2010, Doss gave birth to her son named Landon Blu. She named her fifth album after him.[16]
Philanthropy
[edit]Conya Doss also mentors teen girls, tutors, and is an active philanthropist for breast cancer, HIV/AIDS, and mental health awareness. On March 8, at the House of Blues, in Chicago, she performed to benefit the AIDS Foundation of Chicago.[17] She has been an ambassador for BET's Rap-It-UP campaign[18], and in 2013, joined Brandy Norwood and Civil Rights leader, Julian Bond for the "Keep The Promise" March & Rally in Ohio, U.S.[19]
Discography
[edit]Studio albums
[edit]| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| A Poem about Ms. Doss |
|
| Just Because |
|
| Love Rain Down |
|
| Still... |
|
| Blü Transition |
|
| A Pocketful of Purpose |
|
| Seven: VII |
|
| Clear |
|
| Through Rose-Colored Glasses |
|
Singles
[edit]| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| US R&B /Hip-Hop | |||
| "Coffee" | 2002 | — | A Poem about Ms. Doss |
| "Missin' You" | 2004 | — | Just Because |
| "Damn That" | 2005 | — | |
| "Tell Me Why" | 2006 | — | Love Rain Down |
| "What I'd Do" | 2008 | 79 | Still... |
| "It's Over" | — | ||
| "What We Gone Do" | 2010 | — | Blü Transition |
| "All in You" | — | ||
| "Wi-Fi" | 2011 | — | |
| "Don't Change" | 2012 | 72 | A Pocketful of Purpose |
| "Here for You" | — | ||
| "You Got Me" | 2014 | — | Seven: VII |
| "Love's Not" | 2015 | — | |
| "When We Love" | — | ||
| "I'm Trying" | 2017 | — | Seven: VII |
| "Until" | 2018 | — | |
| "Back to Us" | — | ||
| "Not Trading You" | 2020 | — | Through Rose-Colored Glasses |
| "Wishful Thinking" (featuring B. Golden) |
2021 | — | |
| "6019" | — | Non-album single | |
| "4everlasting" (featuring B. Golden) |
2023 | — | |
| "I Can't Stand to Lose" | 2024 | — |
Awards and nominations
[edit]These are the awards won by Conya Doss.
| Year | Category | Nominated Work | Result | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio Hip Hop Awards[20] | |||||
| 2007 | Best Female Vocalist | Won | |||
| Soultracks Readers' Choice Award[21][13] | |||||
| 2007 | Best Female Vocalist | Nominated | |||
| 2008 | Female Vocalist of the Year | "Still" | Won | ||
| Centric/BET J Virtual Awards[12] | |||||
| 2008 | Female Vocalist of the Year | "What I'd Do" | Nominated | ||
References
[edit]- ^ CLEVELAND’S REIGNING QUEEN OF INDIE SOUL CONYA DOSS TO RELEASE FIFTH STUDIO ALBUM BLU TRANSITION Archived April 6, 2012, at the Wayback Machine. Hip Hop Press. Retrieved on April 1, 2011
- ^ a b Conya Doss - A Poem About Ms. Doss. AllMusic. Retrieved on May 28, 2025
- ^ a b Conya Doss - Just Because. AllMusic. Retrieved on May 28, 2025
- ^ Conya Doss Discography. AllMusic. Retrieved on May 28, 2025
- ^ Conya Doss Biography. AllMusic. Retrieved on May 28, 2025
- ^ 3LW - 3LW (Album). Discogs. Retrieved on May 29, 2025
- ^ Conya Doss - Damn That (Single). AllMusic. Retrieved on May 29, 2025
- ^ Conya Doss - Love Rain Down. AllMusic. Retrieved on May 29, 2025
- ^ "Women Beneath the Radar". Billboard. Vol. 118, no. 46. November 18, 2006. p. 51. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved May 29, 2025.
- ^ Conya Doss - Still.... AllMusic. Retrieved on May 29, 2025
- ^ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart". Billboard. Vol. 120, no. 27. July 5, 2008. p. 61. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved May 29, 2025.
- ^ a b "Best Underground Artist – BETJ Virtual Awards 2008". BET J. Archived from the original on February 3, 2009. Retrieved January 30, 2009.
- ^ a b 2008 SoulTracks Readers' Choice Awards Winners!. Soultracks. Retrieved on September 16, 2010
- ^ Conya Doss - Blü Transition. AllMusic. Retrieved on May 29, 2025
- ^ "Women Beneath the Radar". Billboard. January 21, 2012. p. 47. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved May 29, 2025.
- ^ "Conya Doss returns in September | SoulTracks - Soul Music Biographies, News and Reviews". Archived from the original on October 1, 2012. Retrieved September 20, 2010.
- ^ "Conya Doss to sing to help HIV/AIDS awareness". Soultracks.com. March 1, 2013. Retrieved January 21, 2021.
- ^ "Songstress Conya Doss Joins BET's Rap-It-Up Prevention Campaign for HIV/AIDS! - Black Celebrity Giving | Black Celebrity Giving". Archived from the original on June 14, 2015. Retrieved June 12, 2015.
- ^ "Civil Rights Leader Julian Bond to Join "Keep the Promise on AIDS" March in Cleveland, OH | Reuters". Reuters. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved June 30, 2017.
- ^ "Best Underground Artist | BETJ Virtual Awards 2008 - Official Site". BET. Archived from the original on July 10, 2009. Retrieved August 7, 2010.
- ^ 2007 SoulTracks Readers' Choice Award Winners!. Soultracks. Retrieved on September 16, 2010
External links
[edit]| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
- 1972 births
- Living people
- African-American women singer-songwriters
- American women singer-songwriters
- African-American record producers
- American women record producers
- Record producers from Ohio
- African-American schoolteachers
- American women educators
- Schoolteachers from Ohio
- American rhythm and blues singer-songwriters
- American neo soul singers
- Singer-songwriters from Ohio
- Singers from Cleveland
- American contemporary R&B singers
- 21st-century American women singers
- American ballad musicians
- 21st-century American singer-songwriters
- 21st-century African-American women singers
- 20th-century African-American musicians
- 20th-century African-American women