Ciara
C-word: Now, there's a nice, Irish name for a sweet pop colleen. No doubt she'll be singing a Jimmy McCarthy song and appearing as a special guest of Phil Coulter. Actually, no. Ciara is more likely to be bumpin' and grindin' on MTV, dressed in hot pants and boob tube, and guesting on a racy Snoop Dogg video. This Hotlanta honey looks more like a Beyoncé than a Bernadette, and her surname is pronounced "see-ara". With her hit single, Goodies, the 19-year-old has established herself as the queen of Crunk & B, a vamped-up variation on R&B. The single, produced by king crunker Lil' John, has already topped the Billboard Hot 100, and this week it jiggied its way to Number 1 in the UK charts. With its ridiculously catchy hook and saucy, sassy lyrics, not to mention the red hot video that's sure to accompany it, this tune certainly delivers the goodies.
Destiny's girl: Ciara Princess Harris was born in Austin, Texas, and grew up an army brat, travelling around the world and eventually settling in Atlanta, Georgia. In school she listened to Destiny's Child (wow, she is young), and was voted the girl most likely to become famous. "I wrote down on paper that I had a goal to be a professional singer and I wanna be there soon," she says. To speed up the success, young Ciara stoppped going to the movies, cut down on hanging out with her friends, and gave the boyfriends a wide berth. "I don't have too many friends anyway - less is better for me." Her first move was to join a girl group called Hearsay (no relation to the UK TV-manufactured pop group, and no apostrophe), but when she struck out on her own at 16, Ciara quickly got a publishing deal and began working with top Atlanta producer Jazze Pha.
Crunk calls: Goodies is, says Ciara, about guys who presume that, just because they've got the bling, the girls are gonna give up the booty. "I think we all run across this problem. A guy thinks you're gonna be with him because he's got the iced out chain." With such lyrics as, "If you're looking for the goodies keep on looking 'cause they stay in the jar", Goodies is set to become this year's Milkshake. According to Lil' John, Crunk & B is R&B that makes you wanna go wild. Already, Ciara is being called the female Usher (he had a Crunk & B hit with Yeah) and her agile dance moves have seen her being compared to Paula Abdul.
Peeps show: Ciara's self-titled début album features Goodies, along with such self-assured songs as Thugstyle, Pick Up The Phone and Ooh Baby. "They're for all demographics, all age ranges," she says. "My goal is to deliver a positive message and let people know they're not the only one going through things." I know, Ciara, everybody's trying to get into my goodie jar too.
