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Ciara (born Ciara Princess Harris on
October 25, 1985 in Austin, Texas) is a Grammy
Award-winning American singer, songwriter, dancer,
record producer, and occasional actress. Ciara made her
debut in the summer of 2004 with the Billboard
number-one single "Goodies". The album Goodies
was released on September 28, 2004. It produced three
top two singles on the Billboard Hot 100, has sold 2.6
million in the U.S., over 5 million worldwide, and
earned various awards and nominations.
Ciara's second album, Ciara: The Evolution, was released
on December 5, 2006. The album debuted at number one on
the Billboard 200, selling more than 338,000 copies,
which is 213,000 more than Ciara's debut album Goodies
which debuted at number three. So far the album has
spawned three top twenty singles on the Billboard Hot
100.
Biography, Childhood and youth: Ciara was born in
Austin, Texas. She is the only child of Carlton and
Jackie Harris. She grew up on army bases in Germany, New
York, Utah, California, Arizona, and Nevada, since her
father Carlton was in the United States Army. During her
teens, Ciara and her family settled in Atlanta. Ciara
said that watching Destiny's Child perform on a
television program while staying home from school
inspired her to pursue a career in music.
Then, Ciara joined a girl group called
Hearsay and worked on her songwriting. The group
recorded demos, but began to have differences.
Eventually, she left the group, got a publishing deal,
and found a "musical soulmate" when she met
producer Jazze Pha. Ciara graduated from Riverdale High
School in Riverdale, Georgia in 2003 and was signed by
LaFace Records executive L.A. Reid with the help of
Jazze Pha. She began production on her debut album.
Ciara co-wrote a demo with songwriter Sean Garrett, who
was co-writer of Usher’s international hit
“Yeah!”.
2004–2005: Goodies: The album became a
commercial success in the U.S., selling 2.63 million
copies. The following year, Goodies received an
international release, but success was limited, although
the singles were worldwide hits. Ciara’s debut single,
"Goodies" reached number one in United States
and United Kingdom. The second and third single "1,
2 Step" featuring Missy Elliott and "Oh"
featuring Ludacris were top five singles in both
countries. "And I", the fourth single, did
poorly compared to the first three releases.
The song peaked at ninety-six on the
Billboard Hot 100. In July 2005, Ciara released her DVD
of music videos, documentaries, and commentaries
entitled Goodies: The Videos & More. In the summer
of 2005, during the success of Goodies, Ciara was
featured on hit singles by hip-hop artists. She appeared
on Missy Elliott's "Lose Control" from her
album The Cookbook and Bow Wow’s "Like You"
from his album Wanted, which both peaked at number three
on the Billboard Hot 100.
In December 2005, Ciara went on tour with Gwen Stefani
on her Harajuku Lovers Tour and other pop sensations Bow
Wow and Chris Brown for the "Holladay Jam",
which stopped at big cities such as New York, Washington
D.C., and Atlanta. She also received Grammy nominations
for "Best New Artist", "Best Rap/Sung
Collaboration" for "1, 2 Step",
"Best Rap Song" and "Best Short Form
Music Video" for “Lose Control”. Ciara slowly
began production on her second album.
2006–present: The Evolution of Ciara: Ciara
started a new year by winning her first Grammy Award for
Missy Elliott's "Lose Control". It won
"Best Short Form Music Video", on February 8,
2006. In April 2006, Ciara was featured on Field Mob’s
Billboard top ten single "So What". The
following month, she made acting debut in the MTV Films
production All You've Got, also starring Adrienne Bailon
and Efren Ramirez. The summer of 2006, Ciara completed
her second album, after the release of the Step Up
soundtrack single "Get Up" featuring
Chamillionaire.
Ciara's second studio album, Ciara: The Evolution was
released on December 5, 2006. Production included
hitmakers such as, Jazze Pha, Rodney Jerkins, Pharrell,
Bryan Michael Cox, Will.i.am and many others. The album
is about Ciara's personal growth after two years in the
public eye. She co-wrote and co-produced most of the
songs. The official first single "Promise",
produced by Atlanta producer Polow Da Don, became a
Billboard top twenty single. In October 2006, Ciara went
on a seventeen city club tour until December, which she
previewed new music from the album.
In the December 23 issue of Billboard
magazine, Ciara: The Evolution debuted at number one
selling over 338,000 copies, which is 213,000 more than
Ciara’s debut album Goodies. The album has been
certified platinum by the RIAA. The second single from
Ciara: The Evolution, the first single in Europe and
Asia, "Like a Boy", was released on February
13, 2007 in the U.S. and will be released in the UK on
April 9, 2007. Ciara's third single will be "My
Love" and will be released on June 4, 2007, while
"Get Up" will be released as the second single
in the UK, also in June.
Acting career: In May 2005, Ciara made her acting
debut in the MTV Films coming-of-age film All You've
Got, as Becca Watley, the queen bee of a high school
volleyball team; the Little Madonnas. The film was
released on DVD May 23, 2006. Ciara hopes to shoot
another film after her summer tour.
Take the best songwriters and the best singers, add the
most exciting performers and the best all around
personalities, throw in the hottest looks and the
sexiest smiles --- mix them all together and the
finished product would probably look and sound a lot
like Ciara.
The 18-year-old beauty from Atlanta is the latest
multi-talented scene-stealer to nudge her way to center
stage with attention-grabbing vocals, irresistible
songwriting and killer dance moves.
The Austin, Texas native – a ‘military brat’ has
lived in Germany, New York, California, Arizona and
Nevada – moved to Atlanta as a child and, since that
time, has found herself in the mix with some of the
city’s biggest and brightest producers, among them
Jazze Pha -- who signed Ciara to his Sho’ Nuff label
after working with her for a mere five days -- and his
royal crunkness Lil’ Jon, who produced the singer’s
lead single, the “Crunk & B” cautionary
wrist-slapper “Goodies.”
Dubbed as the First Lady of “Crunk & B”, Ciara
is only the second artist (the first was Usher with his
hit single “Yeah”) to release a Crunk & B song.
Says Lil’ Jon of the newly-formed genre, “Crunk
& B songs are R&B songs that get you crunk. They
make you wanna wild out. [‘Goodies’] is a female
empowerment record. The female has the power. The female
is in control on this song. This is one of those records
for the ladies.”
“I’m so happy I wrote ‘Goodies’,” Ciara
enthuses. “I pray everybody gets it the way they’re
supposed to.” In the hook, Ciara warns, “If you’re
looking for the goodies keep on looking ‘cause they
stay in the jar.” “I think we all run across this
problem,” she explains. “A guy thinks you’re gonna
be with him because he’s got the iced out chain,
he’s popular and all that. But that ain’t it. That
ain’t gonna make me give you my number and that’s
definitely not gonna make me go home with you. It’s
the truth.”
Jon says he was impressed by Ciara’s approach to the
song, which she co-wrote with “Yeah” songwriter Sean
Garrett. “She did an excellent job on it,” says Jon.
“With this record, it’s the way she rides over the
track, the way she freaks the beat and the stuff that
she says to connect her with other women. She’s saying
stuff that women can relate to. Guys are always trying
to get some from a girl and she’s like you can’t
have it. That’s what makes her stand out and this is
one of those records with that undeniable energy where
as soon as the beat comes on it catches you and makes
you move. You can’t sit still when that song comes on.
Crunk music, you can’t fake because it’s all about
the energy. It’s gotta be real.”
And Ciara is as real as they come. Her self-titled
Sho’ Nuff/LaFace/Zomba Label Group debut is a heaping
dose of real life issues conveyed through everyday
language and extraordinary production and vocal
delivery. The album is a complete work of art and a
masterful mixture of messages for the young and not so
young.
On “Thugstyle,” a song she wrote with songwriter
Johnta Austin (Toni Braxton, Aaliyah) Ciara displays her
true ‘round the way girl’ nature. “It’s kinda
how a guy would talk to a female, always spittin’
game,” she explains. “To me, it’s a little slick.
It’s just a fun record. Everyone loves to sing along
with it.”
“Looking at You” and “Pick up the Phone” with
their groove-heavy tracks and sassy vocals, are
signature Ciara, who says the latter, written and
produced by Austin and Jazze Pha, talks about something
that “everybody goes through.” “I love this record
because it’s so real. I say, ‘You know it would be
nice if you could call somebody and let somebody know
that you’re alright….I know you see me on the caller
I.D. so pick up the p-h-o-n-e.’”
The slow and sweet “And I,” which Ciara did with
producer Adonis, is about “loving someone for who they
are and not what they have.” And “Ooh Baby,”
written by Sean Garrett and Keri Hilson (Reuben
Studdard, 3LW) is about good old-fashioned infatuation.
“I’m just really into this guy,” Ciara explains,
in character. “I consider myself a ‘round-the-way
girl, down to earth and basically the kind of guy I like
is like this guy who pulls up in the F-150 pickup with
the crazy banging system. He’s a ‘round-the-way
dude, kinda ‘hood. But I’m like really into him.”
With its easy-to-relate-to subject matter, the album is
listener-friendly and accessible to anyone who knows
even the slightest bit about ‘keeping it real.’
“The songs are very catchy,” says Ciara.
“They’re for all demographics, all age
ranges….They’re not as personal as I want to be.
I’d rather be more personal on the second album, once
I grow a little more.”
Considering the short time that she’s been in the
music business – about three years – Ciara has grown
plenty. She admits that she’s a bit more mature than
the average teenager. “Throughout life I’ve
experienced a lot more than the typical 18 year old has.
And being in this industry makes you develop more
quickly than a typical child would. You mature
faster.” But much of Ciara’s growth and maturity
come from her determination to pursue her dreams. “I
remember watching Destiny’s Child perform on TV one
day. That’s when I made up my mind: ‘Hey I wanna do
this.’ I watched my peers around me and they were
worried about who’s wearing what, going to school,
trying to talk to somebody and I was like ‘I’m
trying to be somebody. What can I do to get there as
soon as possible?’”
Ciara set her sights on her dream and went after it.
“I wrote down on paper that I had a goal to be a
professional singer and I wanna be there soon….I had
to sacrifice a lotta things and I think that was the key
thing to get me there. I cut out going to the movies, I
cut out hanging with my friends, I actually told some of
my friends ‘This month we’re not gonna hang out or
talk on the phone.’ I don’t have too many friends
anyway – less is better for me. I cut out the
boyfriend – actually I had my heart broken so I was
really like, ‘I’m ‘bout to do this. I’m ‘bout
to be on top.’”
From there, things moved swiftly: She joined a girl
group, left the group to go solo, nabbed a publishing
deal and eventually hooked up with Jazze Pha, whom she
refers to as her “music soul mate.” “God really
put him in my life for a reason,” she says. “Our
vibe is incredible.”
And now Ciara is ready to share her vibe with the rest
of the world, but “It’s not just about penning
clever lyrics and singing and dancing to a banging
track,” she says. “My goal is to deliver a positive
message and let people know they’re not the only one
going through things….I’ve been blessed to be able
to counsel my peers. I’m here to deliver a message and
I think the impression that you make is very important.
I don’t wanna write records just to write. I wanna
have a message to everything that I write. That gives
you longevity.” |
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