Biography

Birth Name: Ciara Princess Harris
Born: October 25, 1985 (age 23) Austin, Texas, US
Origin: Atlanta, Georgia, US
Occupations: Singer–songwriter, record producer, dancer, actress, model, music video director

Ciara was born in Austin, Texas; She is the only child of Jackie (née Smith) and Carlton Clay Harris. She grew up on Army bases in Germany, New York, Utah, California, Arizona, and Nevada, since her father was in the United States Army. During her teens, Ciara and her family settled in Atlanta. Ciara said that watching Destiny’s Child perform on a television program while staying home from school inspired her to pursue a career in music  but often cites Michael Jackson as her biggest inspiration. Then, Ciara joined a girl group called Hearsay and worked on her songwriting. The group recorded demos, but began to have differences. Eventually, she left the group, got a publishing deal, and found a “musical soulmate” when she met producer Jazze Pha. Ciara graduated from Riverdale High School in Riverdale, Georgia in 2003 and was signed by LaFace Records executive L.A. Reid with the help of Jazze Pha. She began production on her debut album. Ciara co-wrote a demo with songwriter Sean Garrett, who was co-writer of Usher’s international hit “Yeah!”.