Ciara (1986– )

US rap and R&B singer and songwriter. Known for her combination of beauty, musical talent, and striking dance moves, she became a sensation at the age of 18. Her debut album Goodies, featuring the hit single of the same name, was released in 2004.

Her brand of music is called ‘crunk’ (crazy/drunk), which is characterized by the repetitive chants and drum-machine rhythms often found in dance music.

She was born in Austin, Texas. Her father was in the US Army, and the family lived in Germany, New York, California, Arizona, and Nevada, before setting in Atlanta, Georgia. She aspired to be a singer from an early age and performed in girl groups from her early teens, such as Hearsay, which performed around Atlanta. She went solo at 16 and signed a record deal with Atlanta producer Jazze Pha.

She co-wrote ‘Goodies’, a response to Petey Pablo's single ‘Freek-a-Leek’ (2004), with Sean Garrett, who co-wrote Usher's hit single ‘Yeah!’. The song was produced by Lil Jon of LaFace records, who dubbed her ‘the First Lady of Crunk&B’. Her chart success followed with ‘1, 2, Step’ (2004).