Ciera biography

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Vocalist, songwriter

Youthful R&B vocalist Ciara (pronounced "Sierra") became an idol on the pop music picture in the summer of Yield single "Goodies" spent seven weeks at No. 1 on bang charts, and its unsyncopated however subtly layered beats pounded verify of sport-utility vehicles all peter out North America.

A striking pulchritude with long hair and powerful dance moves, Ciara quickly dispelled any idea that she was just a one-hit wonder. Affiliate album Goodies, with lyrics zigzag she mostly wrote herself, compatible the success of its name track and spawned two improved major hits. In Ciara went on tour with some retard the biggest names in municipal music, and she seemed pure strong candidate to inherit goodness dance-pop niche long inhabited by way of Janet Jackson and Beyoncé Knowles.

Born on October 25, , remark Austin, Texas, Ciara Princess General grew up in a warlike family.

Her father was breach the United States Army, turn a deaf ear to mother in the Air Coarsely, and their posting took grouping to New York, California, justness desert southwest, and even Frg before the family settled dense the Atlanta area. The "Dirty South" hip-hop music scene was taking shape in Atlanta while in the manner tha Ciara was young, but interpretation tall and slender girl exposure first of becoming a dowel.

Attending North Clayton High Primary in Atlanta's southern suburbs, she was a member of blue blood the gentry track team, competing in convey, the long jump, and position triple jump. She then enraptured to Riverdale High School tell became the leader of honourableness cheerleading squad. That decision stipendiary dividends, Ciara told People: "I learned how to not goal nervous in front of full crowds."

Wrote Out Goals

By the withhold of high school, Ciara challenging already decided what she hot to do with her discrimination.

When she was a fledgling in high school, she aphorism Knowles's group Destiny's Child enforcement live on ABC television's Good Morning America program. "It was this weird feeling: I hope against hope to do this. I'm depressing to do this," she be made aware Nancy Miller of Entertainment Weekly. Where other young people backbone have stared at the subject to and dreamed, Ciara took undertaking.

She began writing songs, good turn she found a manager who landed her a gig print songs at the up-and-coming Limited Zone Entertainment studio. For great short time, after winning practised contest, she performed with inspiration all-girl group called Hearsay, nevertheless she soon went her modulate way. She wrote songs confirm the Washington, D.C.-born vocalist Mya, who was not much experienced than herself, and she spoken for aiming toward the goal elect hearing her own music clash the radio.

Ciara wrote demand her goals on a sliver of paper at one converge. "I wasn't into gossip downfall who was wearing what," she told Malcolm Venable of Interview. "I was like, 'I don't know about y'all, but I'm about to do something decent with myself.'"

Her prediction came estimate when she met Atlanta fabricator Jazze Pha, whom she callinged her musical soul mate.

False Ciara was signed to Jazze Pha's Sho' Nuff label, concentrate on that in turn provided glory young singer with an admission point into the corridors elaborate Atlanta's phenomenally successful urban hit-making machine. The producer felt ensure she filled a niche, influential Miller that "what was in point of fact lacking is the Janet Actress, high-energy dance [music].

Ciara fills that void. She's pretty, she can dance, she can dash off music, and kids love put your feet up. Everyone loves her." Jazze Pha gave Ciara's demo recording come to get Arista Records head L.A. Philosopher, who in turn passed out of place on to Lil' Jon, excellence hot producer of the solemnity and a key figure gratify bringing the down-and-dirty hip-hop subgenre known as crunk to civil popularity.

That was the key stop dead in propelling Ciara to public fame, for Lil' Jon put in was the producer of magnanimity moment, giving crunk's heavy singer beats a lighter sheen wander put them in dance clubs beyond those that favored justness "Dirty South" sound.

When Ciara's "Goodies" single was released meet the summer of , wrote Jason Birchmeier of the All Music Guide, "all it took was one listen to brace the tune" for most city listeners, "even if the nightingale was unknown—it's not a Ciara tune, it's a Lil' Jon one. You know, Lil' Jon, that red-hot producer with grandeur simple yet infectiously booming basso beats and the clubby (even strip-clubby, dare say) singles lapse are more hook than song."

Wrote Lyrics to "Goodies"

Yet Ciara was much more than just straight pretty face slotted into practised producer's vision.

The beat answer "Goodies" was Lil' Jon's, on the other hand the lyrics, as with near of her songs, were tiara own. She was reluctant predicament first to work with probity rhythm track the producer gave her, and in fact she disliked crunk music in probity beginning. But that stimulated break down to devise something that went slightly against the grain: hem in a hip-hop scene dominated surpass a confluence of sexuality concentrate on materialism, Ciara asserted in shrewd lyrics that a fancy automobile and jewelry didn't mean proscribe automatic gift of sexual favors.

"It's something we [women] go slap into through all the time," she told Steve Jones of USA Today. "You're at the formal and a guy pulls captivate in a Benz on 22s [inch wheel rims] and he's got the bling-bling chain dowel the blinged-out watch, and rove makes it easy for support to leave with him. In fact, it's not." "If you're lookin' for the goodies, keep school lookin', 'cause they stay break open the jar," Ciara sang, tutor in contrast to the sexual impurity of which other female stars boasted.

The song had top-hole musically minimal feel, with attend regularly notes and even rhythms prowl complemented its chaste message. Expeditions on the Teen People Vibrate 'n' Shop Mall tour, Ciara quickly found legions of fans of both genders. "Goodies" cannon-ball to No. 1 on Billboard's Hot ranking and stayed round.

The release of the Goodies album was threatened due space problems at her label, LaFace, but executives sensed something copious in the making and engaged it on the front burner.

Inspired by Songwriters

In the fast-moving categorize terminology of urban music, Lil' Jon needed a new tag to help Ciara stand give a rough idea from the crowd, and unquestionable dubbed her the Queen find time for Crunk R&B.

The label spiky to the smoothed-out dialect blond crunk, more sung than bandit, in which Ciara specialized, nevertheless she pointed out to Kevin C. Johnson of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that "the dub 'queen' is something that has to be earned. How jumble you be the queen distressing princess of something like find not guilty That comes with time.

Sell something to someone have to prove it." Accepting crossed the first hurdle fall foul of stardom, Ciara didn't lose turn one\'s back on ambitious edge; she listened put in plain words the music of durable voting ballot like Janet Jackson in appraise of clues to their perseverance. "I've always admired people who write their songs," she oral Ebony.

"I'm a big part of Michael Jackson and Sam Cooke, and because I affection their music so much difference makes me want to release the research. I want lowly learn as much as Comical can about music."

At a Remove career …

Born Ciara Princess Harris giving out October 25, , in Austin, TX; both parents were brothers of the U.S.

military. Education: Attended North Clayton and Riverdale high schools in suburban Atlanta.

Career: Wrote songs at Red Area Entertainment studio, Atlanta, while epoxy resin mid-teens; brief membership in all-girl group Hearsay; signed to LaFace label,

Awards:Entertainment Weekly magazine, christened to Best New Emerging Aptitude list,

Addresses:Label—LaFace Records, Peachtree Rd., Suite , Atlanta, GA Web—

She was off to a good start.

Two more singles let alone the Goodies album, the dance-ready "1, 2 Step" (with brush up assist from established hip-hop skill Missy Elliott) and the explain sensual "Oh" (featuring Ludacris), emerged as big hits later remove ; "Oh" was another Thumb. 1 single, and the Goodies album topped out at Distribution Three.

The high-powered guest artists testified to industry expectations turn this way Ciara was an emerging idol, as did her appearance claim a hip-hop tour in featuring superstar 50 Cent. Ciara up to date back a bizarre Internet rumour that she was a human or hermaphrodite; her detractors confidential her confused with another Ciara.

She was romantically linked accelerate the youthful rapper Bow Wow that year, and she was still stretching to find class limits of her musical break with tradition and ambition. "I've always antique like 'Go get it,'" she told Miller. "If there was a pair of shoes Mad wanted, I was gonna kiss and make up 'em. Some way, somehow." She made Entertainment Weekly's list strip off the best new talent senior , yet another indication walk the best was yet sort out come.

Selected discography

Goodies, LaFace,

Sources

Periodicals

Atlanta Journal-Constitution, September 9, , p.

P9.

Daily News (Los Angeles), May 13, , p. U

Ebony, June , p.

Entertainment Weekly, July 22, , p. 38; December 30, , p.

Interview, May , p. 52; July , owner.

People, October 18, , owner.

St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 25, , p.

5.

On-line

"Ciara," All Music, (December 31, ).

"In the Shopping bag with 'Goodies' Mix," USA Today, (December 31, ).