$$$$___________________$$$$
$$$$___________________$$$$
__$$$$$________________$$$$$
__$$$$$$______________$$$$$$____
___$$$$$$$___________$$$$$$$____
_____$$$$$$$$_______$$$$$$$$____
______$$$$$$$$$_____$$$$$$$_____
________$$$$$$$$____$$$$$$$_____
_________$$$$$$$$$__$$$$$$______
____________$$$$$$$$$$$$$_______
_______________$$$$$$$$$________
__________$$$$$$$$$$$$$_________
________$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$________
_______$$$___$$$$$$$$$$$$_______
______$$$$$_$$$$$$$$$$$$$_______
_____$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$_______
______$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$_______
_______$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$________
___________$$$$$$$$$$$$$________
__________$$$$$$$$$$$$$_________

Ciara Princess Harris (born October 25, 1985),[1] commonly known as Ciara (pronounced "Sierra", IPA: /siˈɛr.ə/),[2] is a Grammy Award-winning American singer-songwriter, record producer, dancer, fashion model, music video director, actress and soon to be fashion designer. Born in Austin, Texas, Ciara made her debut in the summer of 2004 with the Billboard number-one single "Goodies". The album Goodies was released in the United States on September 28, 2004, and in the UK on January 24, 2005. It produced three top two singles on the Billboard Hot 100, selling two million in the U.S.,[3] and over five million worldwide,[4] and earned various awards and nominations.

Ciara's second album, Ciara: The Evolution, was released in December 2006. It has spawned the Billboard Hot 100 top ten hit "Get Up", and the R&B/Hip-Hop Charts top ten hits "Promise", "Like a Boy", and "Can't Leave 'em Alone". To date, the album, which went platinum only five weeks after its release, has sold more than two million copies in the U.S. and over three million worldwide, and earned various awards and nominations.

Ciara's third studio album, Fantasy Ride, is expected to be released in the United States in March 2009. A promo single, "Go Girl", was released on September 30, 2008. The album's new lead single "Never, Ever" is set to be released January 2009, in preparation for the album's release.

Early life

Ciara was born in Austin, Texas.[1] 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 was in the United States Army.[5] During her teens, Ciara and her family settled in Atlanta.[5] 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.[5] 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.[5] 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!".[5].

Goodies (2004-2005)

See also: Goodies (album)

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, both peaking at the number two spot on the Billboard Hot 100 charts, 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 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 Bow Wow and Chris Brown for the "Holladay Jam" tour, 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: The Evolution (2006-2007)

See also: Ciara: The Evolution

Ciara started a new year

beyonce

Destiny Fulfilled (2004) and group hiatus
Destiny's Child performing the 2000 hit "Say My Name" during their farewell concert tour, Destiny Fulfilled ... And Lovin' It
Destiny's Child performing the 2000 hit "Say My Name" during their farewell concert tour, Destiny Fulfilled ... And Lovin' It

In 2004, Knowles planned to release a follow-up album featuring some of the left-over recordings from Dangerously in Love. However, her musical aspirations were put on hiatus due to conflicting schedules, including her recording with Destiny's Child for their final album.[43] Early in that year, Knowles performed the U.S. national anthem at Super Bowl XXXVIII at Reliant Stadium in Houston, fulfilling a childhood dream.[44]

After a three-year journey that involved concentration on individual solo projects, Knowles rejoined Rowland and Williams for Destiny Fulfilled, released in November 2004.[12] The album hit number two on the Billboard 200, and spawned "Lose My Breath", "Soldier", "Girl", and "Cater 2 U" as notable mainstream records.[45] In support of the album, Destiny's Child embarked on the 2005 Destiny Fulfilled ... And Lovin' It world tour, which started in April and ran through September. On the Barcelona, Spain visit, the group announced their disbandment after the end of their final North American leg.[46][12] In October 2005, the group released a compilation album, entitled #1's, including all of Destiny's Child's number-one hits and most of their well-known songs. The greatest hits collection also includes three new tracks, including "Stand Up for Love". Destiny's Child was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in March 2006.[44] They were also recognized as the world's best-selling female group of all time.[47][48]

Continuing her film career, Knowles co-starred in the film The Pink Panther, playing the role of Xania, an international pop star, opposite Steve Martin, who plays Inspector Clouseau.[49][50] The film was released on February 10, 2006, and debuted at number one at the box office, doing $21.7 million in ticket sales in its first week.[7] Knowles recorded "Check on It" for the film, featuring Slim Thug, and reached the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100, which was first number-one hit from a soundtrack.[49]

In late 2005, Knowles again put her second album on hold after she landed a role in Dreamgirls, the film adaptation of the 1981 hit Broadway musical about a 1960s singing group loosely based on Motown all-female group The Supremes. In the film, she portrays the Diana Ross-based character Deena Jones.[51][49] Knowles told Billboard magazine: "I'm not going to write for the album until I finish doing the movie."[31] Released in December 2006, Dreamgirls stars Jamie Foxx, Eddie Murphy, and Jennifer Hudson. Knowles recorded several songs for the film's soundtrack, including the original song "Listen".[52] On December 14, 2006, Knowles was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards for the film, Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy and Best Original Song for "Listen".[53] The film won two 2007 Academy Awards.[54]