Ciara Biography

Ciara is a female American singer-songwriter and dancer that came to prominence thanks to her hit album “Goodies” and her impressive dance performances.

Early Life

Born as Ciara Princess Harris in Austin, Texas on October 25, 1985, she took an avid interest in music after watching the Destiny’s Child on television. Writing poems and stories as a young girl, she also joined the girl group “Hearsay”. The group eventually broke up but Ciara continued to work on her songwriting for which she was hired at Atlanta Records.

Professional Debut and Breakthrough

Working as a songwriter she met music producer Jazze Pha, who helped her get a record deal with LaFace Records in 2003. She released her first album “Goodies” the following year. The record proved to an instant success as it was 3 times certified platinum by RIAA in the US, certified platinum in Canada and certified silver in the UK. Named as the crunk female version of Usher, Ciara’s single “Goodies” was very well received by critics and the public alike. She received 1 Grammy award for her collaboration with Missy Elliot on “Lose Control” with “Best Short Form Music Video” in 2006. Ciara then released her second studio album “Ciara: The Evolution”, a project centered on the evolution of music, dance, and fashion. It was Ciara’s first number 1 album on the US Billboard 200 and it sold over two million copies worldwide. The single “Like a Boy” was her most successful international song.

Other Endeavours and Label Change

She made her debut in acting and was named “Woman of the Year” by Billboard in 2008 because of her success as a recording artist. After some delay, Ciara released her third album “Fantasy Ride” in 2009 becoming her third consecutive album to debut in the top three. The single that stood out the most was “Love Sex Magic” featured with Justin Timberlake as it got her a Grammy nomination for “Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals”. Another fruitful collaboration was her non-album duet with “Enrique Iglesias” with the track “Takin’ Back My Love” reaching great international status. “Basic Instinct” was exclusively produced by Ciara and was revealed in late 2010 having little success. As a result, she released a statement, claiming that the label was not supportive of her latest 2 albums receiving little promotion thus leading to her dropping sales. Ciara was released from the contract with Jive Records and was subsequently signed to Epic Records in late 2011. Her self-titled 2013 “Ciara” album was received better than her last, debuting at number 2 on Billboard 200.

Motherhood and New Material

In 2014 she gave birth to her first child after which she received media attention from her split with then-fiancee, Future, on claims that he had been unfaithful during her pregnancy. The release of her upcoming album was postponed and she focused on motherhood and recording music. “Jackie” was released in 2015 and was supported by the “Jackie Tour” the same year. For her next album, she is planning to change musical direction.

Photo credit: Rollingstone.com