Ciara

R&B singer, actress, model and businesswoman Ciara Princess Wilson, aka Ciara, was born in Fort Cavazos, Texas, on October 25, 1985. She grew up with her military father's postings in several states and completed her studies in Georgia, where she made her musical debut as part of a trio called Hearsay, before composing for Blu Cantrell and Fantasia Barrino. Noticed by the LaFace Records label, she recorded the track "Goodies", a duet with Petey Pablo which gave its title to the first album released in 2004. Both were immediate successes, with the track reaching #1 in the U.S. and U.K., and the Lil' Jon-produced full-length, featuring R.Kelly and T.I., reaching #3 on the Billboard 200 and #1 on the R&B charts. The duets "1, 2 Step" with Missy Elliott and "Oh" with Ludacris follow at #2 and #7 respectively on the Billboard Hot 100 (#3 and #4 in the UK). Dubbed the first lady of "Crunk&B" in reference to the crunk style in vogue at the time, Ciara's CD/DVD Goodies: The Videos & More went platinum in 2005, before she set to work with multiple producers on her second album Ciara: The Evolution (2006), which, just as she finished her first tour, debuted at #1 on the Billboard charts. This unique No. 1 album unveils new hits including "Get Up", featuring Chamillionaire (No. 7), used in the soundtrack to the film Step Up, and "Promise " (No. 11). Now an actress and model, Ciara returned to song in 2009 with the album Fantasy Ride (No. 3), supported by the electro-funk duet "Love Sex Magic" with Justin Timberlake (No. 10). A duet with Enrique Iglesias, "Takin' Back My Love", preceded the moderately successful albums Basic Instinct (2010) (No. 44) and Ciara, which signaled her return to No. 2 in 2013, amid collaborations with Nicki Minaj and Future. In 2015, her successor Jackie (#17), where she surrounds herself with a new team, testifies to her evolution into R&B production with a pop bent. Presenter at the Billboard Music Awards in 2016, Ciara signs with Warner Bros. for the single "Level Up" (No. 59) and the album Beauty Marks (2019), conceived after her maternity. Several tracks follow, including the duets "Better Thangs" with Summer Walker in 2022 and "How We Roll" with Chris Brown the following year, which opens the Cici EP, from which "Forever", with Lil Baby, is also taken.