Conya Doss (born June 13, 1970) is an American singer-songwriter, music producer, and educator. She is known as The Queen of Indie Soul. 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),Conya Doss - A Poem About Ms. Doss
AllMusic. Retrieved on May 28, 2025 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''.Conya Doss - Just Because
AllMusic. Retrieved on May 28, 2025 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).

Early life

Conya Doss was born on April 13, 1972, in

Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...

, Ohio, to Carolyn Pruitt (

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

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.Conya Doss Biography
AllMusic. Retrieved on May 28, 2025 She received her teaching credential from the

Cleveland Metropolitan School District Cleveland Metropolitan School District, formerly the Cleveland Municipal School District, is a public school district in the U.S. state of Ohio that serves almost all of the city of Cleveland. The district covers 79 square miles. The Clevela ...

and became a teacher of

special education Special education (also known as special-needs education, aided education, alternative provision, exceptional student education, special ed., SDC, and SPED) is the practice of educating students in a way that accommodates their individual di ...

Career

1995–2004: Career beginnings

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. Doss released her debut album ''A Poem About Ms. Doss'' in August 2002 on

Orpheus Records Orpheus Music is an independent record label that is part of Hush Management and is dedicated to R&B and jazz music, and home of recording artist Freddie Jackson. For years, it was distributed by EMI. Roster *Eric Gable *Freddie Jackson *Meli's ...

. 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. The album spawned the singles "Missin' You" and "Damn That".

2005–2013: ''Love Rain Down'' and career breakthrough

In August 2006, Doss released her third album ''Love Rain Down''. The album's lead single "Tell Me Why" received positive reviews from music critics. In April 2008, she released her fourth album ''Still...'' The album's lead single "What I'd Do" peaked at number 79 on the US

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

chart. The song earned Doss a nomination for "Best Underground Artist" at the BETJ Virtual Awards. In 2008, Doss won Female Vocalist of the Year at annual Soultracks Readers' Choice Awards.2008 SoulTracks Readers' Choice Awards Winners!
Soultracks. Retrieved on September 16, 2010 In September 2010, she released her fifth album ''Blü Transition'', which spawned the singles "What We Gone Do" and "All in You". 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.

2014–present: Current projects

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

In 2010, Doss gave birth to her son named Landon Blu. She named her fifth album after him.

Philanthropy

Conya Doss also mentors teen girls, tutors, and is an active philanthropist for breast cancer,

HIV/AIDS The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...

, and mental health awareness. On March 8, at the House of Blues, in Chicago, she performed to benefit the AIDS Foundation of Chicago. She has been an ambassador for

BET Black Entertainment Television (BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting Black American audiences. It is the flagship channel of the BET Media Group, a subsidiary of Paramount Global's CBS Entertainment Group. Originally launched ...

's Rap-It-UP campaign, and in 2013, joined

Brandy Norwood Brandy Rayana Norwood (born February 11, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, model and actress. Born into a musical family in McComb, Mississippi, Norwood was raised in Carson, California, beginning her career as a backing vocalist ...

and Civil Rights leader,

Julian Bond Horace Julian Bond (January 14, 1940 – August 15, 2015) was an American social activist, leader of the civil rights movement, politician, professor, and writer. While he was a student at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, during the ea ...

for the "Keep The Promise" March & Rally in

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

, U.S.

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

Awards and nominations

These are the awards won by Conya Doss.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Doss, Conya 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