Ciara Princess Harris (born October 25, 1985), known mononymously as Ciara (pronounced , see-ERR-ə), is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, dancer, model and actress. Born in Austin, Texas, she traveled around the world during her childhood, eventually moving to Atlanta, Georgia where she joined the girl group Hearsay (not to be confused with the British group Hear'Say); however, the group disbanded after having differences. It was at this time Ciara was noticed for her songwriting. In 2002, Ciara met music producer Jazze Pha. With his help, she signed a record deal with LaFace Records.
In 2004, Ciara released her debut studio album Goodies, which spawned four commercial singles: "Goodies", "1, 2 Step", "Oh" and "And I". Her first three singles peaked at No. 1, 2 and 2 respectively on the Billboard Hot 100. The album was certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and earned her four nominations at the 48th Annual Grammy Awards. During the same time, she was featured on Missy Elliott's "Lose Control" and Bow Wow's "Like You", both reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. Ciara released her second studio album, Ciara: The Evolution, in 2006 which spawned the hit singles "Get Up", "Promise", "Like a Boy" and "Can't Leave 'em Alone". The album reached number one in the U.S. and was certified platinum.
Her third studio album, Fantasy Ride, released in 2009, was considerably less successful than Ciara's first two albums. However, it produced the international top-ten single "Love Sex Magic" featuring Justin Timberlake, which earned her a Grammy Award nomination for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals. The following year, Ciara released her fourth studio album Basic Instinct, which was met with low sales and continued a downward trend in her commercial performance. However, the album included the R&B top-five single "Ride". In 2011, she signed a new record deal with Epic Records, and released her self-titled fifth studio album, Ciara, in 2013 which included the R&B top-ten single "Body Party". In 2015, Ciara released her sixth album Jackie, which included the singles "I Bet" and "Dance like We're Making Love".
Ciara has also transitioned into acting and modeling. In 2006, she made her film debut in All You've Got, followed by Mama, I Want to Sing! (2012) and That's My Boy (2012). In 2013, Ciara had a recurring role in the US TV series, The Game. In 2016, Ciara signed a signed a modeling contract with IMG. That same year, she became a Global Brand Ambassador for the cosmetics giant Revlon.
Since making her musical debut in 2004, Ciara has attained eight Billboard Hot 100 top-ten singles, including a number one. She has also earned numerous awards and accolades, including three BET Awards, three MTV Video Music Awards, three MOBO Awards, and one Grammy Award. To date, Ciara has sold over 23 million records worldwide.
Jackie is the sixth studio album by American recording artist Ciara, and was released on May 1, 2015, through Sony Music Entertainment. Following her departure from her previous record label, and the release of her self-titled fifth studio album, Ciara embarked on a hiatus in order to focus on her relationship with American rapper Future, which provoked Ciara to start work on her sixth album which was predominantly inspired by her then-fiancé. In May 2014, Ciara gave birth to her first child and shortly thereafter called off the engagement. Following the public break-up, Ciara postponed the album and began to record new music, while concentrating on motherhood.
Genre: Dance-Pop
Release date: May 1, 2015
Ciara is the fifth studio album by American singer Ciara, which was released on July 9, 2013. This album is the artist's first release under Epic Records, since publicly asking the now-defunct Jive Records to release her from her contractual obligations. The singer cited a lack of label support and financial funding for her previous albums Fantasy Ride (2009) and Basic Instinct (2010). On this fifth studio album, Ciara is reunited with her long-term mentor and friend L.A. Reid, chairman of Epic Records. Reid is credited with discovering Ciara in 2003 along with signing her to his LaFace Records label and executive-producing her debut studio album, Goodies (2004).
Genre: R&B
Release date: Jul 5, 2013
Basic Instinct is the fourth studio album by American recording artist Ciara. It was released on December 10, 2010, by LaFace Records and Jive Records. Executive-produced by A&R agent Mark Pitts, Ciara, Tricky Stewart and The-Dream, Basic Instinct returns Ciara to her urban roots with mid-tempo R&B cuts and bass-heavy pop and dance songs. Aside from production by Stewart and The-Dream, Ciara collaborated with production by Soundz, Infinity and T-Minus. Frequent collaborator and friend Ludacris makes a guest vocal appearance, as does labelmate and fellow Atlanta-native, Usher. After her previous album, Fantasy Ride, suffered numerous leaks and pushbacks, information about Basic Instinct was kept confidential until the first single was released and album was complete.
Genre: R&B
Release date: Dec 10, 2010
Fantasy Ride is the third studio album by American recording artist Ciara, first released on May 3, 2009, by RCA Records and LaFace Records. The album was recorded between 2007 and 2009. Ciara was executive producer on the album along with co-executive Mark Pittsand, Ciara worked with several record producers, including Blac Elvis, Benny Blanco, Blade, Jasper Cameron, The Clutch, Darkchild, Danja, Dr. Luke, Jason Nevins, Jim Beanz, Los da Maestro, Ne-Yo, Osinachi Nwaneri, Polow da Don, The-Dream, Tricky Stewart, Justin Timberlake, T-Pain. The album featured several guest vocalists, including Justin Timberlake, Ludacris, Chris Brown, Young Jeezy, The-Dream, Missy Elliott.
Genre: R&B
Release date: May 3, 2009
Ciara: The Evolution (simply known as The Evolution) is the second studio album by American recording artist Ciara, released on December 5, 2006, by LaFace Records. The album is separated into five sections, with each showcasing a different side of Ciara's artistry. The first features crunk&B and uptempo records, which mainly deal with feminine independence, while its successor, entitled The Evolution of Music features ballads dealing with the positives and struggles of love. The Evolution of Dance features dance tracks, The Evolution of Fashion deals with self-expression, while the last, entitled The Evolution of C, features tracks that discuss how Ciara has evolved as a person since the start of her career.
Genre: R&B
Release date: Dec 5, 2006
Goodies is the debut studio album by American recording artist Ciara. It was released on September 28, 2004 via LaFace Records. After writing songs for several established acts, Ciara's talents were noticed by Jazze Pha, and she began to work on what became Goodies. The album's conception came through the which the title track, created as a female crunk counterpart to Usher's "Yeah" and Petey Pablo's "Freek-a-Leek." Ciara worked with several writers and producers on the album, including Jazze Pha, Lil Jon, Bangladesh, R. Kelly, Johntá Austin, Sean Garrett, and Keri Hilson, among others.
Genre: R&B
Release date: Sep 28, 2004