Ciara

"Sometimes you have to stop to think, regroup and regather yourself and realize how lucky you are to still be living and to still be breathing and still be able to even have a chance."

- Ciara

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Ciara Princess Harris is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and model.

Biography
Born on October 25, 1985, in Austin, Texas, Ciara travelled the world as an only child of military parents. As the only child of Jackie and Carlton Clay Harris, she grew up on U. S. Army bases all over the world, including stops in Nevada, New York, California, Arizona and even Germany. Ciara settled in Atlanta as a teen and after watching pop group Destiny's Child on television, she decided that music was what she wanted to pursue.

She wrote poems and stories as a young girl, but Ciara never took her writing seriously until she joined a girl group call Hearsay. Although the group broke up, she saw this as an opportunity to work on her songwriting skills—a smart move, given Atlanta's reputation as a center of urban music talent. She got a publishing deal and met prominent Atlanta producer Jazze Pha, who helped her get a record deal at LaFace Records.

Career
The single that put Ciara on the map, "Goodies," was co-written by her and produced by popular rapper/producer Lil Jon. The song reached the top of the singles charts in the U. S. and the U.K. The follow-up singles, "1, 2 Step," featuring Missy Elliott, and "Oh," featuring rapper Ludacris, were also successes, both reaching No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart.

Ciara's debut album, Goodies, was a surprise hit, certified triple platinum (3 million in sales) by the Recording Industry Association of America. The album also garnered the new artist four nominations at the 2005 Grammy Awards. Her second studio album, 2006's Ciara: The Evolution, did well in the United States, reaching No. 1 on the albums chart and reaching platinum status. However, her third album release, 2009's Fantasy Ride, marked a serious downturn in sales, despite its big hit single "Love Sex Magic," featuring superstar Justin Timberlake (and the racy video that accompanied the song).

Always known for her agile dancer's body and unique dance moves, Ciara has become a fixture in fashion magazines as well, partly due to her deal with Wilhelmina Models, which focuses on casting her for photo shoots and commercials. Her career has generated eight Billboard Hot 100 top 10 singles, three MTV Video Music Awards and one Grammy Award. She has also written or co-written songs for some of music's biggest stars, including Missy Elliott and Bow Wow. Born on October 25, 1985, in Austin, Texas, Ciara traveled the world as an only child of military parents.