Ciara has a career spanning two decades through multiple avenues of entertainment, but as it pertains to her success, what may be her proudest and most defining factor is that she has always bet on herself. In a new interview for Bustle, the Atlanta native took a look back at several of the standout moments that millions have come to love her for, each sharing that very thread of belief in self.
The “Like a Boy” songstress dropped off her debut project, Goodies, in 2004, and like most artists, it was a moment to cherish. She tells the publication, “Releasing my first album, Goodies, was really special because it really was another example of, like, ‘Don’t stop believing in yourself.’ When it was time for me to release my music, Arista Records had a whole executive overhaul.” The transition landed her at Jive Records but had no impact on her freshman LP. “My last songs that I recorded [were] ‘1, 2 Step’ and ‘Oh.’ They were all my biggest songs on my album,” says the sensational dancer.
She followed up on her success with her sophomore effort, Ciara: The Evolution, in 2006, proving she was not a one-hit wonder. The album boasts “Promise,” a track that not everyone at her label supported. “I remember really saying, ‘I think this song is gonna be a monstrous record,’ and I remember myself and Polow da Don, who produced the record, being told that it was probably one of the worst R&B records someone heard, and they did not believe in it.”
That executive, who Polow identified as Barry Weiss in a Rated R&B interview, could not have been more wrong. “He was telling me how much he didn’t like it and how it wasn’t going to work because he [was] getting feedback from his urban department and staff,” recalled the sound architect who has helped craft chart-toppers for Usher and Chris Brown.
Ciara’s sexy ode of there being “nothing I won’t do to spend my life with you” has sold more than 1 million units, which of course, has made it a certified platinum hit by the RIAA, and also one that spent 11 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The music video and its epic wall dance scene and mic lean moment continue to be replicated by fans nearly 20 years later.
That cultural impact and career milestone are not lost on the Princess of Crunk ’N B either. “That song was game changing,” she said, adding, “I had my first No. 1 album, and the fun thing is I came out that week, and it was Gwen Stefani, it was Eminem, it was a lot of big projects that week, and CiCi came through.”
The performer, actor, entrepreneur, mother and wife (the list of titles goes on) has only continued to evolve, finding new ways to satisfy her long-existing core supporters and the newer generation. In 2017, she took full control of her career reins with the launch of a new company: Beauty Marks Entertainment. Her first major success through her label came in 2019, the same year she revealed ownership of her masters.
“‘Level Up’ was a big moment for me. It was my first song release from my independent label Beauty Marks Entertainment, and I always say, ‘If I’m gonna bet on anyone, I’m gonna bet on me,’” she said. The up-tempo dance track earned its second platinum certification in June 2024, and the meter is only going up from there.
They say men lie, women lie, but numbers don’t, so it is safe to say Ciara and her success are here to stay.