Ciara

Ciara

Ciara (born Ciara Princess Harris on October 25, 1985) knew early on that she wanted to be a songstress, and went from forming her own group Hearsay when she was still in her early teens all the way to working with big Hip-Hop and R&B stars such as Ludacris, Missy Elliot, will.i.am and many others. Dubbed the "First Lady of Crunk & B" by the producer who should know, Lil Jon, this Grammy Award-winning American singer, songwriter, dancer, record producer, and occasional actress burst onto the scene with the never-gonna-get-it single "Goodies," the breathy "answer song" to Petey Pablo's "Freek-a-Leek." The album Goodies was released on September 28, 2004. It produced three top three singles, sold 2.6 million in the U.S., over three 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. It has spawned two top-twenty singles.

Early Life

The only child of Jackie Harris and Carlton Harris, a member of the United States Army, Ciara was born in Austin, Texas, but she grew up on an army bases in Germany, New York, Utah, California, Arizona, and Nevada. She is of Creole, German and Irish heritage. During her teens, Ciara and her family settled in Atlanta. A cheerleader in high school, she graduated from Riverdale High School in Atlanta in 2003.

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. Ciara joined a girl group called Hearsay and worked on her songwriting. The group recorded demos, but began to have differences and eventually, she left the group, got a publishing deal, and found a "musical soulmate" when she met producer Jazze Pha. After Ciara graduated from Riverdale High School she was signed by LaFace Records by 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!”

Goodies: 2004 – 2005

Ciara wrote most of her 2004 debut album 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.”

Good friends with music artist Bow Wow, she was accompanied by him to the MTV Video Music Awards in 2005.

Then Ciara slowly began production on her second album.

Ciara: The Evolution: 2006 – Present

Ciara started 2006 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 still at the tender age of only 21. 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.

Acting Career

In May 2006, 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.