The Evolution of Ciara

Ciara, is that you?

By: Amanda Anderson

In 2004, singer Ciara stepped into the scene of the Atlanta "Crunk Music" movement, and told every man alive that they could forget about having her cookies. With the perfect blend of heavy beats, dope hooks, and sassy mantras; the Atlanta native had the whole music world at her feet. It had been a while since there was a female singer who not only had the charisma, charm, and sex appeal thing on lock; but this chick was a true entertainer. She had the sickest dance moves we've seen in a while, since Janet Jackson started focusing on acting and our beloved Babygirl Aaliyah passed away in 2000. The charts were hers for the taking, and she chewed and spit out the Billboard's like it was a southern cooked meal gone totally wrong. Damn Cici.


2004 was the year she released her platinum debut album Goodies. And the hot single, by the same name, was a Hip-Hop anthem that initiated a woman's movement that left men with a horrible case of blue balls. Ciara had every woman singing their lungs out in the club and reminding men that they had no chance in hell of taking them home.

This formula worked well for an 18 year old Ciara, and she had a style that made women feel like she was their super strong alter-ego speaking on their behalf, while the fellas thought Ciara was the sexiest down to earth homegirl they hopped to hell they could snatch away from Bow Wow.


Her signature image at the time was an ATL fitted, a sexy pair of jeans, a dope ass hoodie, and a way to make the hardest dance moves look easy as hell. Combine that with her ability to pen some of the catchiest tunes we've heard in years and one very talented ATL producer named Jazzy Pha, and you have a muli-platinum debut album.


The album went three times platinum, and sold roughly 5 million copies world wide. Not bad for a first album, huh?

The sexy homegirl image worked well, and honestly, it made us a love Ciara a little more for just being that around the way girl that we could relate to.


Two years later, she evolved and decided to release an album that highlighted that growth. In 2006, she dropped her most successful album to date, Ciara: The Evolution. Fresh from a very public break-up with rapper Bow Wow, Ciara started to somewhat drop the whole homegirl act and instead became that on the low sexy homie lover friend. Even 50 Cent was feeling it...so much it was rumored that they had sparked a relationship after recording her smash hit "Can't Leave Him Alone." Yummy for Ciara, but major loss for Bow Wow.

The album was certified platinum only 5 weeks after its release, and became her first number one album. In her video for one of her biggest hits, "Promise", Ciara was no longer that young girl from the "A" giving you her mild version of sexy in tight jeans and a hoodie. Ciara had grown into a real sex symbol, but she still hadn't quite lost herself. She managed to find the perfect mix of evolution and staying true to herself...a formula that didn't alienate her fans, and still managed to grab some new ones.

But somewhere in the dirty music industry where young innocent girls start to cross that fine line between sexy to slutty within the third album, Ciara had totally lost herself. There was no trace of that down to earth homegirl from around the way, but instead only reminiscences of every man's first strip club experience. By the release of her third single for her third album Fantasy Ride, Ciara was sporting afro wigs and performing some of the most explicit dance moves that would make any grown man blush.

I honestly couldn't even recognize her in her music video for "Love Sex Magic." There had to be at least 5 times when I had to ask "Who the hell is this?" while I watched her desperately gyrate and coochie pop on the floor with back-up dancers as if she was trying to pump life into a career that was on life support.

Ciara has just released two multi-platinum albums, so what the hell was she trying to prove? Was she trying to prove that she still had it? I mean seriously, this girl never lost it in the first place.

And it's clear that no one loves a desperate R&B singer because Fantasy Ride didn't even manage to go gold. It only sold a measly 300,000+ copies worldwide and this was during the same time that Rihanna became a superstar and Beyonce revealed to the world that her alter-ego Sasha Fierce wasn't to be played with.

It's obvious Ciara began to feel the pressures of the business, and that her handlers and clueless music executives told her she'd have to taken the same route that Beyonce and them took to gain her popularity back. Ciara believed it, and created her own alter ego "Super C." By this time, I decided I would rather patiently wait for the return of the real Ciara than to buy an album that couldn't even compare to the ones she released a couple years ago. Silly rabbit, slutty gimmicks are for talentless whores who sucked and slurped their way into the business, and Ciara my dear, you're not one of them.

A little self-reflection must have taken place because Ciara went back in the studio to record her fourth album, and this one has Ciara written all over it.

Entitled Basic Instinct, Ciara went with her own instinct, and decided to go back to the formula that works. By the release of her first music video for the heavy bass "Ride"; Ciara had on her signature ATL fitted, dance moves that looked physically impossible, and that confidence of a true southern girl that knows she can take any woman's man without really trying.

She remembered her Evolution, and gave us the perfect combination of sexy and homegirl. It took a failed album, a few really horrible afro wigs, a naked travesty with Vibe Magazine; but hey, Ciara is back.

I know Beyonce and Rihanna fans will say she doesn't have a shot in hell of making a comeback, but I honestly believe "Ride" was just a little taste of what's to come from this next album. "Ride" wasn't even the best she's got, and Ciara's probably sitting down somewhere with a glass of wine just smiling because she's got the right hand of cards to play from.

She's got her mojo back, and she knows just how to use it.

Welcome back Ciara, we've missed you homegirl.