Ciara Princess Harris (born October 25, 1985), known simply as Ciara, is a Grammy winning American R&B, Hip-Hop, & Pop singer and songwriter.
Ciara | |
|---|---|
| R3799701524.jpg Ciara at the 2006 Grammy's | |
| Background information | |
| Years active | 2004-present |
Background
Born in Austin, Texas. During her childhood her father was in the military so she has lived in several countries, but claims Atlanta, Georgia as her hometown. She has said that it was seeing a televised performance by Destiny's Child that inspired her to pursue a career in music. In her early teens she formed the goal to become a professional singer. She joined a girl group, worked on her songwriting, left the group, got a publishing deal, and found a "music soul mate" when she met producer Jazze Pha.[1]
Music Career
"Goodies" became a hit, reaching the top of the United States pop charts, and also charting in the United Kingdom (in January 2005, also reaching number one), Australia, Germany, Sweden, and New Zealand. With help from Pha, Garrett, and Lil Jon, Ciara released her debut album, Goodies in September 2004. It entered the Billboard 200 chart at number three, and sold over two milion copies in the United States of America alone. The second single, "1, 2 Step", featuring Missy Elliott, reached the top ten in the U.S., peaking at number two in early 2005. "1, 2 Step" was released in the U.K. on 11 April the same year, and reached number three, benefiting from the fact that it was the first week that downloads were incorporated into the singles chart. Ciara charted one place higher than she would have done if downloads had not been included in the chart formula; she would have instead swapped places with Elvis Presley's re-issue of "The Wonder of You" at number four.
In May 2005, Ciara's third single, Oh featuring Ludacris, reached number two on the Hot 100 and number 4 on the U.K. charts. In 2005 Ciara released her DVD of music videos with behind the scenes footage of her rehearsals for the Soul Train Awards.
In the summer of 2005 during the success of Goodies Ciara was featured on several singles by other hip-hop artists, such as Missy Elliott's 'Lose Control' from her album The Cookbook which peaked at#3 on the Billboard Hot 100.
In the fall of 2005, Ciara was featured singing alongside current love interest, Bow Wow, on the second single from his 2005 album Wanted entitled Like You. The duet also reached a peak of #3. In the December of 2005 Ciara went on tour with Gwen Stefani's "Harajuku Lovers Tour". Ciara's fourth single, And I was released and peaked at #96 which was poor compared to the first three singles. The song most likely performed poorly because she was featured on an already successful single at the time Like You with Bow Wow and many radio stations did not want to play that song along with And I.
Ciara ended 2005 by going on tour with other teen pop sensations like Bow Wow and Chris Brown for the "Holladay Jam" which stopped at cities like New York and Atlanta. Ciara then performed at the Orange Bowl. The performance was one of the biggest of her career because of the high television and stadium audience.
Ciara is particapting in a charity single written and produced by Michael Jackson. Her part has reportedly already been recorded. The single is to be titled "I Have This Dream", and will be released on February 13, 2006 [2][3].
On February 8, 2006 Ciara along with Missy Elliott won the Grammy for Best Short Form Music Video. It was Ciara's first Grammy. She also performed a duet with Maroon 5's Adam Levine during the Grammy show in tribute to the legendary R&B musician Sly Stone.
Ciara is included in an ad campaign for Candies clothing and shoe line at Kohls, along with fellow pop star Hilary Duff.
Discography
Albums
Singles
| Year | Title | Chart Positions | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Hot 100 | US R&B/Hip-Hop | UK Singles Chart | AUS Top 50 | |||
| 2004 | "Goodies" (featuring Petey Pablo) |
#1 (7 weeks) | #1 | #1 | #19 | Goodies |
| 2004 | "1, 2 Step" (featuring Missy Elliott) |
#2 | #4 | #3 | #2[5] | Goodies |
| 2005 | "Oh" (featuring Ludacris) |
#2 | #2 | #4 | #7 | Goodies |
| 2005 | "And I" | #96 | #27 | Not Released | Not Released | Goodies |
Guest vocals
Album appearances
- 2004: "It's Us" / "I Wish" (with ATL, from The ATL Project)
- 2004: "Get it Started" (with Ja Rule, from R.U.L.E.)
- 2005: "Lose Control" (with Missy Elliott & Fatman Scoop, from The Cookbook)
- 2005: "Like You" (with Bow Wow, from Wanted)
- 2006: "Lose Your Cool" (with Jazze Pha & Cee-Lo, from Happy Hour)
- 2006: "King & Queen" (with T.I., from King)
- 2006: "So What" (with Field Mob & Jazze Pha, from TBA)
- 2006: "What's Wrong" (with DMC & Napoleon from Checks, Thugs, and Rock'n'Roll)
Soundtrack appearances
- Coach Carter ("Roll Wit U"; 2005)
DVDs & Videos
- Goodies: The Videos & More
Awards & nominations
- 2005: Soul Train Awards - Won - Sammy Davis Junior Female Entertainer of the Year
- 2005: Soul Train Awards - Won - Best R&B Soul/Rap New Artist
- 2005: Bet Awards - Won - 2005 Best Collaboration for "1, 2 Step" (feat. Missy Elliott)
- 2005: Teen Choice Awards - Won - Choice Music Make-Out Song for "Oh" (feat. Ludacris)
- 2005: Teen Choice Awards - Won - Choice Music R&B/Hip Hop Track for "1, 2 Step" (feat. Missy Elliott)
- 2005: MTV Video Music Awards - Won - Best Hip Hop Video for "Lose Control" (Missy Elliott feat. Ciara & Fatman Scoop)
- 2005: MTV Video Music Awards - Won - Best Dance Video for "Lose Control" (Missy Elliott feat. Ciara & Fatman Scoop)
- 2005: Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards - Won - Best New Artist
- 2005: Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards - Won - Best Dance Cut for "1, 2 Step" (feat. Missy Elliott)
- 2005: Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards - Won - Best Video for "Lose Control" (Missy Elliott feat. Ciara & Fatman Scoop)
- 2005: CosmoGIRL! Magazine Annual - Won - Born to Lead Award
- 2005: Vibe Awards - Won Best Collaboration for "Oh" (feat. Ludacris)
- 2006: Grammy Awards - Won - Best Short-Form Music Video: "Lose Control" (Missy Elliott feat. Ciara & Fatman Scoop)