Ciara
strikes a pose in a black T-shirt and jeans
while on yet another photo shoot. The young
starlet recently received recognition by receiving
the Soul Train Sammy Davis, jr. award, and
an accomodation from the TRL TV show. |
“I’m so happy I wrote ‘Goodies’,”
she said. “I [wanted] everybody to
get it the way they were supposed to. I
think we all run across this problem: A
guy think you’re gonna be with him
because he’s got the iced out chain,
and he’s popular and all that. But
that ain’t it. That ain’t gonna
make me give you my number and that’s
definitely not gonna make me go home with
you. People want to think ‘Goodies’
is about sex but it’s about whatever
is important to you.”
Moreover, while “Goodies” was
the debut hit that put Ciara on the map,
the singer explained that the song almost
was lost amidst the wrangles of record industry
executives.
|
“I
was on Arista and getting ready to release
my first single,” she said. “When
the label sold, I had a chance of losing [Goodies]
when I went to LaFace/Zomba. But I fought
for it. I definitely believed in ‘Goodies’
and believed strongly in that record. If it
came down to it, I would’ve not released
a record at all to keep ‘Goodies.’
That’s how much I wanted that song.”
Ciara, an only child who hopes to one day
marry and give birth to five healthy children,
has witnessed her self-titled debut disc go
on to become a staple on radio stations across
the country. She’s enjoyed support from
young girls (“The girls really hold
me down. You know how it can be from women.
It’s been a blessing”) and frantic
testosterone-filled boys.
They watch her. Study her. In fact, it’s
safe to say that fans look at Ciara much in
the way 16-year-olds view sparkling new Range
Rovers. Well-wishers, however, would probably
be amazed to find that the attractive r&b
singer is also watching them.
“One thing I do is try not to think
about it to much (being a role model) and
it’s sad because I beat myself up over
one little thing,” Ciara explained.
“We’re all human and make mistakes,
but my goal is to give out a positive vibe.
I don’t believe I was placed in front
of millions of people just to sing. I believe
I am to give a message to people. Now whatever
that should be, I determine that.”
| 
Ciara
lounges at a record industry party, top photo,
while performing for frantic fans, middle
pic. The 19-year-old singer shows her happiness
at becoming a fan favorite, above.
|
With
a hit CD, numerous awards and possible film
roles on the horizon, Ciara is on the road
to even more mainstream success. Not bad for
a woman whose first and only job was hawking
fast food at a local sports arena.
“I sold pretzels and hot dogs at the
Braves stadium,” Ciara recalled with
a laugh. “We was making $50 a day. We
was rich! Sometimes it was $100 and then we
got tips. Die-hard fans would go crazy over
our special concessions Braves hats. We sold
‘um but don’t tell anybody.”
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