CIARA

Who is Ciara?

Ciara Princess Wilson (aka Ciara) was born on October 25, 1985 in Fort Hood, TX. Ciara does it all. She is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and model. Ciara has made her mark in the contemporary R&B/pop music scene. Aside from her music, many adore her dancing skills, loveable personality, and stage presence. 

Early Professional Career

Ciara was an only child, and she grew up on U. S. Army bases all over the world, including Nevada, New York, California, Arizona, and Germany. Following, Ciara settled in Atlanta in her early teenage years. During this time in Atlanta, Ciara watched the girl group Destiny’s Child on television. As a result, she decided that music was what she wanted to pursue. In an interview with The Spokesman-Review, Ciara expresses, “I saw Destiny’s Child perform, and I knew that’s what I wanted to do.” From a young Ciara has always been into the musical arts whether it had been singing, dancing, or modeling. Furthermore, growing up, Ciara wrote stories and poems, which helped her with her song-writing skills during her early music career when she joined a girl group called Hearsay with her two close friends. Although the group broke up, Ciara wrote several songs during this time since she was in Atlanta, which was a center of urban music talent.

 

Following these events, while she was still in high school, she got a publishing deal and met Atlanta producer Jazze Pha, who helped her get a record deal at LaFace Records in 2003. In 2004, songwriter/producer Sean Garrett helped Ciara begin recording demos. He was the co-writer of popular contemporary-artist Usher‘s  hit “Yeah!,” which stood out to Ciara. During this year, they worked up a demo for a song called “Goodies.” Garret brought forth this demo to popular rapper and producer Lil Jon. When Lil Jon heard the demo, he saw potential and agreed to produce the song. Ciara’s debut single,”Goodies,” was released in June 2004 and rose quickly to the top of the charts around the world. This song put Ciara’s name on the map. As a result, her debut album was  titled Goodies and was released in September of 2004. The album went multi-platinum and  debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 chart. Following, Ciara made singles featuring famous artists. The single “1, 2 Step” featuring Missy Elliott, which was nominated for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration at the Grammys,  and “Oh” featuring Ludacris both broke the Top Five in the U.S. in 2005. At the end of 2005, Missy Elliott featured Ciara on her song “Lose Control,” which was nominated for Best Rap Song and took the award for Best Short Form Music Video. 

 

 

View the music videos of the songs mentioned above down below.

Middle Professional Career

In 2006, Ciara worked on her sophomore album, The Evolution. As soon as it came out in December of  that year,  it hit high onto  the charts immediately, and it sold platinum numbers. Ciara did many performances to promote The Evolution including multiple festival appearances, a headlining tour, and a support act for Rihanna’s Good Girl Gone Bad world tour in the U.K. Following this album, the singles “Get Up” featuring rapper Chamillionaire, “Promise,” and “Like a Boy.” In May of 2009, Ciara released her third album, Fantasy Ride. Fantasy Ride featured several famous artists. “Love Sex Magic,” featuring Justin Timberlake, was nominated for a Grammy in the category of Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals, and it was a Top Ten pop hit. In 2010, Ciara worked with singer-songwriter the-Dream and developed the album Basic Instinct, which debuted in December 2010. This album was her first LP to peak on the Top Ten of the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.

Late Professional Career

In July 2013, Ciara released her fifth album. During this time, she met up with LaFace again, the co-founder L.A. Reid, and moved to the Epic label. Furthermore, her certified gold single “Body Party” debuted at number two on the Billboard 200. During this time, Ciara had a son with rapper Future and split from him. Following these events, Ciara released her sixth album, Jackie, in May 2015; this album was named after her mother. After these events, Ciara began dating Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, and they married in July 2016. Following, they had a daughter, Sienna Wilson, in the spring of 2017 during the time she was set to record her then-untitled seventh studio album. In July 2018, Ciara released the single “Level Up,” which landed at number four on the Billboard Hot R&B Songs chart. Finally, in May 2018, she released her seventh album, Beauty Marks. In August 2020, Ciara returned to the music scene with the single “Rooted,” featuring Ester Dean.

Contemporaries

Influences

Rihanna, K Michelle, Janelle Monae, Ashanti, and Alicia Keys

Destiny’s Child, Janet Jackson, Michael Jackson, Beyoncé, Whitney Houston, Aaliyah, TLC, Prince, Madonna, and Missy Elliott

Awards

2005 — “Best Collaboration” in the BET Awards 

2005 — “Best R&B/Soul Single: Female,” “Best R&B/Soul or Rap New Artist,” and “Sammy Davis Junior Female Entertainer of the Year” in the Soul Train Music Awards 

2005 — “Best Performed Songs” in the ASCAP Pop Music Awards

2005 — “Best R&B Female” in the Dirty Awards in the Soul Train Music Awards 

2005 — “Award Winning R&B/Hip-Hop Songs” in the ASCAP Rhythm and Soul Music Awards

2005 — “Best Dance Video” and “Best Hip-Hop Video” in the MTV Video Music Awards 

2005 — “Choice Music R&B/Hip Hop Track” in the Teen Choice Awards 

2006 — “Best R&B/Soul or Rap Dance Cut”

2006 — “Award Winning R&B/Hip-Hop Songs” in the ASCAP Rhythm and Soul Music Awards

2006 — “Best Performed Songs in the ASCAP Pop Music Awards” 

2006 — Best Short-Form Music Video in the Grammy Awards

2007- “Best Female R&B Artist” in the Ozone Awards

2007 — “Best Performed Songs in the ASCAP Pop Music Awards” 

2007 — “Award Winning R&B/Hip-Hop Songs” in the ASCAP Rhythm and Soul Music Awards

2008 — “Award Winning R&B/Hip-Hop Songs” in the ASCAP Rhythm and Soul Music Awards

2010 — “Best Dance Performance” in the Soul Train Music Awards 

2011 — “Award Winning R&B/Hip-Hop Songs” in the ASCAP Rhythm and Soul Music Awards

2013 — “Best Dance Performance” in the Soul Train Music Awards 

2014  — “Award Winning R&B/Hip-Hop Songs” in the ASCAP Rhythm and Soul Music Awards

2016 — “Award Winning R&B/Hip-Hop Songs” in the ASCAP Rhythm and Soul Music Awards

2018 — “Best Dance Performance” in the Soul Train Music Awards 

…and more

Social Involvement

Ciara is an activist for women empowerment and growth. At many award shows, Ciara has given speeches that every woman and little girl should hear. In 2019, at the annual Black Girls Rock! award show, Ciara gave a heartwarming speech. In this speech, Ciara gives her younger self some words of wisdom. Moreover, at the end of the speech, she expresses, “to every girl listening out there, you will forever be empowered by knowing that no one—absolutely no one—can close a door that God has opened for you.” 



In addition, every Wednesday, Ciara and her team host a segment called “Women’s Wednesdays” on Instagram Live. On this live, Ciara and her husband, Russel Wilson, reach out to fans to connect and discuss all that is currently going on in the world.

Family

Ciara is happily married to Russel Wilson, an American football quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks. The couple got married in 2016, and they have been couple goals for Ciara’s and Russel’s fans. Previously to their relationship, Ciara was engaged to Future, an American rapper. They had a son named Future Zahir Wilburn in 2014. However, in that same year, Ciara ended her engagement to rapper Future. Furthermore, Ciara met Russel in 2015, and they hit it off and got married the following year. Moving forward, the couple had their first child together on April 29, 2017; her name is Sienna Princess Wilson. Following, on July 23, 2020, the pair welcomed their second child together, Win Harrison Wilson. 

Discography

Goodies (2004)

Ciara: The Evolution (2006)

Fantasy Ride (2009)

Basic Instinct (2010)

Ciara (2013)

Jackie (2015)

Beauty Marks (2019)

Sources

Jeeya. “Ciara Biography.” Gossip Gist, Gossip Gist, 8 Feb. 2021, gossipgist.com/ciara.

 

Baron, Zach, and Photography by Micaiah Carter. “Russell Wilson & Ciara: The Superstar Couple In Pursuit of Perfection.” GQ, 2020, www.gq.com/story/russell-wilson-ciara-march-modern-lovers-cover.

 

Biography.com Editors. “Ciara Biography.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 28 July 2020, www.biography.com/musician/ciara.

 

Dixon, Christine-Marie Liwag. “The Stunning Transformation Of Ciara.” TheList.com, The List, 17 Jan. 2020, www.thelist.com/184077/the-stunning-transformation-of-ciara/.

 

Katz, Evan Ross. “Fans Can’t Get Over This Sweet Video of Russell Wilson and Ciara’s Newborn Son.” Oprah Magazine, Oprah Magazine, 12 Feb. 2021, www.oprahmag.com/entertainment/a27469991/ciara-russell-wilson-relationship-timeline/.

 

Thomas, Fred. “Ciara: Biography & History.” AllMusic, 2020, www.allmusic.com/artist/ciara-mn0000215513/biography. 

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