Ciara Biography, Career, Net Worth, And Other Interesting Facts - Celebily (2024)

Ciara Princess Wilson is an American singer and songwriter born October 25, 1985. She gained fame with her first album “Goodies” in 2004. The album’s title track featuring Petey Pablo topped both the Billboard Hot 100 and UK Singles Chart. Her next hits “1 2 Step” with Missy Elliott and “Oh” featuring Ludacris also did well making her a star. “Goodies” was certified quadruple platinum by the RIAA and earned Grammy nominations.

Her second album “Ciara: The Evolution” (2006) hit number one on the Billboard 200 and gave us the hits “Get Up” and “Promise.” “Fantasy Ride” (2009) brought us “Love Sex Magic” with Justin Timberlake which got a Grammy nod. “Basic Instinct” (2010) had the platinum single “Ride” with Ludacris. After a stint with Epic Records, she released “Ciara” (2013) and “Jackie” (2015). “Ciara” hit number two on the Billboard 200 and featured the platinum hit “Body Party.” “Jackie” gave us the platinum hit “I Bet.”

In 2016, Ciara added modeling and became a Global Brand Ambassador for Revlon. She married Russell Wilson a quarterback that year. Her seventh album “Beauty Marks” (2019) included the platinum hit “Level Up.” Ciara now partners with Uptown Records under her label Beauty Marks Entertainment. Her EP “CiCi” (2023) featured singles like “How We Roll” with Chris Brown and “Forever” with Lil Baby.

Ciara has also acted in movies like “All You’ve Got” (2006), “Mama I Want to Sing!” (2012) and “That’s My Boy” (2012) and on TV in “The Game” (2013) and the 2023 remake of “The Color Purple.” She’s won a Grammy two BET Awards and numerous other accolades with over 45 million records sold worldwide as of 2019.

Ciara’s Early Life and Education

Ciara Princess Harris was born on October 25, 1985, in Fort Hood Texas. As the only child of Jackie and Carlton Clay Harris, she grew up moving around a lot because her dad was in the Army. This meant she lived in various states like Georgia New York Utah California Arizona and Nevada.

Named after a Revlon fragrance called “Ciara” that came out in 1973 Ciara settled with her family in College Park Georgia during her teenage years. She attended North Clayton High School and later graduated from Riverdale High School.

In her mid-teens, She teamed up with two friends to form a girl group called Hearsay. They recorded some demo tracks but the group eventually broke up due to differences. Undeterred Ciara secured a songwriting deal marking the start of her professional journey.

Her first major songwriting work was on Blu Cantrell’s debut album So Blu where she wrote the song “10000 Times.” She also penned “Got Me Waiting” for Fantasia Barrino’s first album Free Yourself. It was during her songwriting days that she met music producer Jazze Pha who she described as her “music soulmate.” Together in 2002, they recorded four demos: “1 2 Step” “Thug Style” “Pick Up the Phone” and “Lookin’ at You.” These songs later featured on her debut album which came out two years later. The single “1 2 Step” from this album became a big hit.

Career

Ciara released her first album Goodies on September 28, 2004. It debuted at number three on the U.S. Billboard 200 selling 125000 copies in its first week. The album also topped the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. After its release Ciara was dubbed the “First Lady of Crunk&B”. Goodies remained on the Billboard 200 for 71 weeks and earned triple platinum status from the Recording Industry Association of America by October 10, 2006. It also achieved platinum certification in Canada and gold in the UK.

The album’s lead single “Goodies” featuring Petey Pablo was released on June 8, 2004. It was designed as a female counterpart to Usher’s “Yeah!” and promoted abstinence with lyrics like “the goodies will stay in the jar.” Critics praised it as a summer anthem and one of the year’s best singles highlighting its danceable beat and clever lyrics.

The song topped charts in Canada the U.S. and the UK receiving platinum certification in the U.S. The second single “1 2 Step” featuring Missy Elliott was released next also achieving widespread success and platinum or gold status in multiple countries. “Oh” featuring Ludacris followed as the third single reaching the top 10 in seven charts and also earning platinum or gold certifications.

Following the album’s success she released a CD/DVD called “Goodies: The Videos & More” in the U.S. in July 2005 featuring remixes of her hits and new songs. It was certified platinum. Ciara collaborated on singles with Missy Elliott and Bow Wow both of which reached number three in the U.S. She also toured with Gwen Stefani and later with Chris Brown and Bow Wow.

Ciara’s second studio album Ciara: The Evolution was released on December 5, 2006. It became her first number-one album on the U.S. Billboard 200 and was certified platinum. The lead single “Get Up” featuring Chamillionaire was a top ten hit in the U.S. and was featured in the movie Step Up. The album’s other singles including “Promise” and “Like a Boy” also achieved success internationally.

In addition to her music career, Ciara made her acting debut in the MTV film All You’ve Got in May 2006. She received praise for her role. In October 2008 Ciara was named Billboard’s “Woman of the Year” for her achievements in the music industry. Her subsequent albums including Fantasy Ride in 2009 and Basic Instinct in 2010 continued to blend R&B and pop sounds.

Ciara signed with Epic Records in 2011 and began working on her fifth studio album eventually titled Ciara. The album released on July 9 2013 debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 and featured hits like “Body Party” and “I’m Out”. Ciara also pursued acting roles during this period appearing in films and TV shows.

In September 2013 producer Mike WiLL Made It announced that Ciara had started working on her sixth album. By December 2013 Ciara confirmed she was indeed making a new album. She shared in an interview with Rap-Up magazine that she began recording for this album around Thanksgiving of 2013 and hinted at releasing new music very soon.

In late January 2014, Ciara performed a song called “Anytime” live at the Degree Women Grammys Celebration in Los Angeles. On February 2, 2014, she debuted the studio version of the song produced by Boi-1da and Katalyst featuring her then-boyfriend rapper Future.

Following her engagement to Future. Ciara revealed in April 2014 that her upcoming album would largely draw inspiration from their relationship. In May 2014, she gave birth to their first child a boy. However, rumors of Future’s infidelity surfaced leading to the end of their engagement. Consequently, Ciara’s album release was pushed back to 2015. During this time she quietly continued to record new music while focusing on being a mother.

The lead single from her album “Jackie” titled “I Bet” was released on January 26, 2015. In May 2015, Ciara kicked off her first headlining tour in six years known as the Jackie Tour which spanned several major cities across the United States.

“Jackie” was released on May 1, 2015, featuring singles like “I Bet” and “Dance Like We’re Making Love.” The album debuted at number 17 on the Billboard 200 chart. Despite positive reception, it had the lowest first-week sales of Ciara’s first six albums.

In 2016, Ciara appeared on the talent show “I Can Do That” and hosted the 2016 Billboard Music Awards. Later that year she announced her pregnancy during the American Music Awards red carpet.

Throughout 2016, Ciara worked on her seventh studio album promising a new musical direction. She signed a deal with Warner Bros. Records in January 2017. On July 17, 2018, she released “Level Up” the first single from her seventh studio album “Beauty Marks” which was released on May 10, 2019. The album also featured singles like “Freak Me”, “Dose”, “Greatest Love”, and “Thinkin Bout You.”

In July 2019, Ciara joined a new musical competition show on Nickelodeon called “America’s Most Musical Family.” She continued to stay active in music collaborating with artists like Blanco Brown and Summer Walker.

Ciara took a break from music to focus on her pregnancy and family. However, she returned with the release of “Rooted” in August 2020 featuring Ester Dean. Alongside her husband Russell Wilson, she ventured into business launching The House of LR&C and signing a deal with Amazon Studios for Why Not You Productions.

In March 2022, Ciara appeared in “The Color Purple” as Nettie Harris. She also graced the cover of the 2022 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.

By June 2022, Ciara signed a new record deal with Republic and Uptown Records and she released the single “Jump” in July 2022. She collaborated with Summer Walker again in September 2022 for the song “Better Thangs” which achieved success on the charts.

Throughout 2023, Ciara continued to release new music including the singles “Da Girls” and “Slow” with Jackson Wang. She also released an EP titled “Versions” featuring remixes of “Da Girls.” Additionally, she collaborated with Agnez Mo on “Get Loose” and with Chris Brown on “How We Roll.”

Ciara’s EP “CiCi” was released in August 2023 featuring singles like “How We Roll” and “Forever” with Lil Baby. She continued to expand her musical horizons with collaborations like “Fantasy” with Keys N Krates and a remix of Hulvey’s song “Altar.”

Net Worth

Ciara has an estimated net worth of $20 million, according toCelebrity Net Worth. The main source of Ciara’s net worth comes from her music career. She makes money from selling albums, going on tours, and performing concerts. Additionally, she earns from endorsem*nts, acting, and being a fashion model. Her various business ventures and investments also contribute to her wealth.

Personal life

In 2013, Ciara got engaged to rapper Future and they had a son together in 2014. However, they broke off their engagement in August 2014. Ciara is a Christian.

In early 2015, Ciara started dating NFL quarterback Russell Wilson. They got engaged on March 11, 2016, and married on July 6 at Peckforton Castle in England. When they married Ciara took Wilson’s last name. Their first child a daughter was born on April 28, 2017. They welcomed their second child a son on July 23, 2020, and their third child another daughter on December 11, 2023.

Ciara and Russell Wilson met Barack Obama and Shinzō Abe at the White House in 2015.

Philanthropy

In September 2008, Ciara joined fifteen other female artists to perform the song “Just Stand Up!” live during the “Stand Up to Cancer” TV event. The song’s sales proceeds went to support cancer research contributing to a total of $100 million raised by the special.

In 2009, Ciara became the face of Dosomething.org’s “Do Something 101” campaign which aimed to gather school supplies for students in need as the school year began. She also recorded a public service announcement to promote this initiative.

By December 2017, Ciara took on a role as a board director for her husband’s nonprofit ‘Why Not You’ Foundation. This foundation later launched Why Not You Academy a charter school that opened in June 2021 with the support of partners like the NFL Players Association and Goalsetter.

They also donated $35000 to provide checking accounts for students at Denny International Middle School. Ciara further collaborated with the Black Women’s Health Imperative and Hologic’s Project Health Equality on the ‘Cerving Confidence’ campaign focusing on raising awareness about cervical cancer’s disproportionate impact on black women.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Ciara donated one million meals through Food Lifeline to support families in the Puget Sound Region.

Other ventures

Ciara started her career as the face of Jay-Z‘s Rocawear clothing line and a spokesperson for their “I Will Not Lose” campaign in 2007. She appeared on the cover of Vibe Magazine in October that year where it seemed she was nude but she clarified that the magazine had edited her clothes out which upset her when she saw it.

In 2009, Ciara signed a big contract with Wilhelmina Models and began appearing in many magazines. She also planned to start her clothing line and had discussions with Steve & Barry’s department store about it although it didn’t work out. She made headlines again in 2009 for modeling in the German edition of Vogue and becoming the face of Verizon’s LG Chocolate Touch campaign where she danced to her song “Work”. She also became the spokesperson for Adidas Originals in 2010.

By 2016, Ciara signed with IMG Models and later became a Global Brand Ambassador for Revlon. In 2019, she and her husband Russell Wilson joined the ownership group of Seattle Sounders FC. In 2020, they launched The House of LR&C fashion house with entrepreneur Christine Day focusing on sustainable fashion lines like Dare To Roam which uses recycled plastics.

Ciara and Russell also own Why Not You Productions a company involved in TV advertising and films with Amazon Prime Video. Ciara expanded into the business world further by becoming an investor and co-owner of Ten To One Rum in 2021. The same year they announced a children’s book titled “Why Not You?” aimed at inspiring kids to chase their dreams. It became a New York Times bestseller.

In August 2022, Ciara unveiled her skincare line On A Mission which launched in mid-September.