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Ciara
Background information
Birth name Ciara Princess Harris
Born October 25, 1985 (1985-10-25) (age 21)
Austin, Texas, United States
Genre(s) R&B, pop, hip hop, dance
Occupation(s) Singer, songwriter, record producer, dancer, actress
Years active 2003–present (singing)
2006–present (acting)
Label(s) LaFace/Zomba Music Group
Website CiaraWorld.com
Ciara (born Ciara Princess Harris on October 25, 1985) is an American
singer, songwriter, record producer, dancer, and actress. Ciara made her
debut in the summer of 2004 with the Billboard number-one single "Goodies".
The album Goodies was released the fourth quarter of 2004 and first quarter
of 2005. It produced three top two singles on the Billboard Hot 100, selling
over 2.6 million in the U.S.,[1] and 5 million worldwide,[2] and earned
various awards and nominations.
Ciara's second album, Ciara: The Evolution, was released in December 2006.It
has spawn the hit singles "Get Up", "Promise", and "Like a Boy". The album
has sold nearly two million copies worldwide.
Biography
Childhood
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.[3] During her teens, Ciara and her family settled in Atlanta.[3] 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.[3]
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.[3] 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!”.[3]
2004–2005: Goodies
Goodies 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 the summer of 2005, Ciara released her DVD of music videos,
documentaries, and commentaries entitled Goodies: The Videos & More and
contributed to hip-hop artists' singles during Goodies success. 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 2005 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: Ciara: The Evolution
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.[4] 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.
It became the second European single in the summer 2007, apart from the UK,
where the song was released twice as a download-only single, once in 2006
and again in 2007.
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, which reached eleven on the Billboard Hot
100. In October 2006, Ciara went on a seventeen city club tour until
December, which she previewed new music from the album.
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 received
generally positive reviews and was certified platinum by the RIAA. The
second single from Ciara: The Evolution, the first single in Europe, "Like a
Boy", was released on February 13, 2007 in the U.S. The single was the
second to be released in the UK with an April 9, 2007 release date. The
single was a moderate success peaking at nineteen on the Billboard Hot 100
and sixteen in the UK.
In early May, Ciara teamed with Glamour Magazine to direct her first music
video for emerging female artists Tiffany Evans, Paula Campbell, or Samantha
Jade in the Nissan Reel Music Contest.[5] She signed on to her second film
role Mama, I Want to Sing! which films this summer and due in theaters
February 2008 and she became the face of Jay-Z's Rocawear women campaign
entitled "I Will Not Lose", which debuts this fall.[6] The official third
single "Can't Leave 'Em Alone",which features 50 Cent was released on June
12. Ciara will headline with Lloyd, T-Pain, T.I. and Yung Joc on the
Screamfest '07. The tour was scheduled to begin July 24,[7] but it was
changed to August 3.[8]
Film 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.[9] The film was released on DVD May 23, 2006.
Ciara will co-star with Patti LaBelle in the upcoming film Mama, I Want to
Sing!, which is based on the off-Broadway musical. Ciara will play a
preacher's daughter in the church choir who becomes a pop star. The movie is
scheduled to start shooting in June in Louisiana and due in theaters in
February 2008.[10]
Discography
* Goodies (2004)
* Ciara: The Evolution (2006)
Filmography
Year Title Role Notes
2006 All You've Got Becca Watley Television film
2008 Mama, I Want to Sing! Amara In production
Tours
* 2006: The Evolution Tour
* 2007: Screamfest '07
Notes and references
1. ^ " Ciara Previewing 'Evolution' On Tour". Retrieved November 28, 2006.
2. ^ "Ciara Certified Platinum". Retrieved January 18, 2006.
3. ^ a b c d e " Billboard.com Biography - Ciara". Retrieved December 14,
2006.
4. ^ Rock On The Net: 48th Annual Grammy Awards
5. ^ Ciara Directs A Clip, Plus Kelly Clarkson, Usher, Paris Hilton, Beyonce,
Chris Brown & More In For The Record MTV News Retrieved June 2, 2007
6. ^ Ciara Tapped As the New Face of Rocawear Us Magazine Retrieved June 2,
2007
7. ^ T.I., Ciara To Headline Latest Scream Tour Retrieved June 7, 2007
8. ^ Usher To Become A Dad; Plus Screamfest, Jay-Z, Beyonce, Fall Out Boy,
Fergie, Andre 3000 & More, In For The Record
9. ^ " Ciara The Queen of Madonnas". Retrieved August 28, 2006.
10. ^ A.M. Surf Report: Ciara Steps To Big-Screen Divadom; Harry Potter
Gives Tokyo A First Look; Jessica Simpson Can't Quit John Mayer. Retrieved
May 22, 2007.
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