Ciara’s Biography

Lil Jon dubbed her the "First Lady of Crunk & B" and Ciara burst onto the scene with the single "Goodies." The song served as the female "answer song" to Petey Pablo's "Freek-a-Leek." Ciara was born in Austin, TX, but with her father in the Army, Ciara spent time living around the word, places such as Germany, New York, California, Arizona, and Nevada before landing in Atlanta.

In her early teens, Ciara got a piece of paper out and wrote down her life's goal, to become a professional singer. She joined a girl group, worked on her songwriting, left the group, landed a publishing deal, and found a "music soul mate" when she met producer Jazze Pha. With Sean Garrett, the co-writer of Usher's massive hit "Yeah!," Ciara co-wrote "Goodies," and when Lil Jon heard the demo, he knew it was going to be big.

LaFace released the Lil Jon-produced track in the summer of 2004, and its quick climb up the charts was remarkable. With help from Pha, Garrett, and Lil Jon, Ciara released her self-titled debut in September the same year. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide