CIARA

Biography

Ciara Princess Harris was born on October 25, 1985, in Austin, Texas. Her father was a military man, and towed her to his various posts in Germany, New York, California, Arizona, and Nevada. They finally settled in Atlanta, capital of the Dirty South, while she was still a little girl.

At first, Ciara wanted to become a model, but her affinity for music made her think bigger, which her breathy, sexy voice enforced. One day she saw Destiny's Child perform on TV and decided that that was what she was going to do.

ciara decides to become a singer

So she wrote down on a piece of paper that she wanted to be a professional singer, and she wanted it soon. It was no joke. She gave up movies, cut down on phone time and spent less time with her friends. She even broke up with her boyfriend.

Surprise: she was voted "Most likely to become famous" in high school.

ciara in hearsay

She joined a girl group called Hearsay that performed in Atlanta, but it was short-lived. She went solo, quickly grabbing a recording deal (how could she not?). It all happened very quickly, but Ciara never hesitated. It was this self-assurance in the 16-year-old that grabbed the attention of Atlanta producer Jazze Pha, who immediately set out to make her a record under his Sho' Nuff label.

She wasn't just that good. She was good enough to drop the jaws of R&B master Lil Jon, who pioneered the crunk genre. In his words: "Crunk & B songs are R&B songs that get you crunk. They make you wanna wild out."

ciara releases goodies

Lil Jon produced her hit single "Goodies," a song about female empowerment whose verses ("If you're looking for the goodies keep on looking 'cause they stay in the jar.") tell guys that having bling and a cool posse aren't enough to get her into your car.

Other songs on Ciara's debut album bounce with confident messages, dealing with real-life issues and giving a voice to young girls. And with only three years in the music biz, she has lots of star power to her credit. Missy Elliott, Petey Pablo and Ludacris lend their voices to some tracks, and R. Kelly wrote "Next To You" for her.

But she doesn't let her guests overshadow her own voice. "They spice a record; they add a little seasoning to it. I'm the dressing, and they put a little gravy on it," she says.