Since the dawn of time, the music industry has bred their pop stars young. Britney Spears sold 20 million copies worldwide at the ripe age of 19, NSync began to headline tours in Europe as arguably post-pubescent 17 year-olds, and the late Aaliyah recorded the celebrated Age Ain’t Nothing But A Number with a mere 14 years under her belt. With all this being somewhat common knowledge (thanks, WikiLeaks), it should’ve come to no surprise to me that Ciara is only 25. But when you take a gander at Ciara’s impressive career stats— Over 7 million records sold worldwide, Grammy nominations, and a consistently strong presence on the charts—it’s worth stating that the singer wasn’t born into the entertainment business like some of her contemporaries.
“I’m a military baby—My father was in the military, my mom was in the air force. I was like 13 or 14 when I got into the world of music, and everything took off from there. My first TV show was my first big performance. Some people are fortunate to perform a lot when they are young [but I wasn’t]. So my fans have really taken this journey with me.” But Ciara’s rise to success really began as a writer, an aspect of her talent that many oftentimes seem to forget, after she left the girl group she formed in her mid-teens. “I started to write at RedZone with Tricky [Stewart] and other great writers. They all wrote so many big records. That’s when I met Jazze [Pha].” Jazze acted as Ciara’s main collaborator, helping her conjure up hits like “1,2 step,” as well as her musical introduction to the industry, the Petey Pablo-featured “Goodies.”
“I was on my way to Jive records—we had a showcase, and I remember saying ‘This is the record that is going to start my career off. This is the one the world needs to hear first.’ I almost lost that track because I was a new artist. It was crazy, but by the grace of god it worked out. It was the record that I really believed in. It was great to express myself that way from the jump.”
With her first album an international success, Ciara began to develop a strong following and some notable gigs: As the opening act for tours with Chris Brown, Britney Spears, Gwen Stefani and more, the hailed “Princess of Crunk N’ B” swiftly rose from newcomer to solidified star. Despite Ciara’s transformation into R&B superstar, her extremely underrated Fantasy Ride did not meet its commercial expectations in the US, which brought about the customary internet criticism that all artists of Ciara’s respectable caliber seem to receive at one point or another. But the singer-songwriter has never been one to let the skeptics bring her down.
“There are moments when people steal your joy or try to bring you down, say mean things to you. But you have to have your eye on the prize. If you know what your goal is, pretty much nothing can stop you. One of my new mottos is ‘the harder they hate the harder I go.’ More money more problems—The more success people [have], the more people try to go in a little bit harder. You have to look at it as something that comes with the territory. If I don’t believe in me, how can the world believe in me? So I tune out those moments where they try and discourage me. Those are moments that define me, something that makes me better.”
Ciara has always dealt with negative speculation with maturity and resiliency, even when some have accused her of fraudulent songwriting. “People just need to look at the credits. I think over time, people will begin to see that even if they may not know the detail of it all, the important thing is that I’m confident with myself and I know what I’m doing. When it is all said and done, my check reflects that. That may be a bit more low key or not as exposed to the world, but as long as I know that I can receive the benefits of what comes as a writer, I just don’t think that I have to be caught up in that. As long as everything is straight on the business front, I’m fine. In time, people will be able to see that. Just one thing at a time. “
Unshaken by those who question her ability, Ciara has decided to borrow influence from the original sound that started her career, appropriately titling her just-released album Basic Instinct. “Well, I called up my good friends in music, Tricky Stewart and The Dream, and we all executive produced the record together. The ultimate goal was to take it back to the basics— to bring it back to important pieces to the formula that makes me an artist.”
Ciara cites her music’s versatility as one of its greatest strengths. “My music can be played in the streets and at the same time, it is mainstream. That is important to me—that my music can travel around the world.” In addition to Ciara’s desire for international appeal, the young singer-songwriter feels she has an obligation to her fans to be herself. “I want to make sure my fans feel that I am being as true to myself as possible, but that they can also feel my growth. I wanted to make it an in-your-face intimate experience. I didn’t have many features— I wanted fans to hear more of my voice.”
But the album is not without a couple visits from Ciara’s heavyweight homies. “I called my good friends— Ludacris and Usher. I know my fans have been looking forward to [some collaborations as well]. I wanted my fans to hear more of my voice and at the same time give them my diehard fans what they love and want.” And with the album’s Ludacris-featured “Ride” already a big success and catchy album tracks it seems Ciara’s (basic) instincts are the ones she should listen to the most.
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