By Isgaelle Isma

 Special to CSMS MagazineWith all the teen idols out there, Ciara seems to be the one with the puckish wit. Critics believe she is one of a kind. Her success, however, stems from her diversity in the industry. She sings, acts, and dances. On top of that, she has her own studio, where she teaches young promising artists how to dance.        She was born as Ciara Princess Harris on October 25, 1985 in Austin, Texas. She is from a military family—the only child of Carlton and Jackie Harris.  She grew up in an Army base in Germany, where her father was in the United States Army and her mother was in the Air Force. Ciara moved around the country while she was younger. During her teenage years, Ciara and her family settled in Atlanta.       Back then, Ciara enjoyed singing and modeling, but singing would be her main focus after she graduated from high school. Ciara graduated from Riverdale High School in 2003. From then on, she made it clear to everyone that “that I’m going to a professional singer.” At that point, Ciara cut out everything that did not have to do with singing, including talking on the phone, friends, relationship etc.. She was definitely on her to making her dream come true.      Before Ciara became a major star, she joined in a girl group called Hearsay and worked on her songwriting. After the group recorded some demos, they began to see differences between them. Hearsay brook up and Ciara became a solo artist. She later found a record deal, and with it a “musical soul mate”—producer Jazze Pha. Ciara said that watching Destiny Child perform on television program while staying at home inspired her to pursue a career in music.        Laface Records finally signed Ciara, and she began producing on her debut album. She co-wrote a demo with songwriter Sean Garrett. She was the first female to release a song in this genre and after it became popular, she was dubbed with the title of the First Lady of Crunk & B.  The album by the same name Goodies, released by LaFace Records, also became an instant chart topper Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Top 10 when it was released in September of 2005.         She released her Goodies video in 2005, which includes behind-the-scene snapshots about other music videos from the album. She is currently touring the U.S. She also won the 2005 BET Award for best collaboration for her hit song 1, 2, Step, featuring Missy Elliot       Shortly thereafter, Ciara worked and produced a new album The Evolution, which was released on December 5, 2006. She wanted this album to be about her personal growth and how people should see her as an artist. In May 2005, Ciara made her acting debut in the MTV movieAll you’ve got, as Becca Watley, the queen bee of a high school volleyball team. She then played in the Little Madonnas, which was released on DVD in  May of 2006.      Ciara is now starring with Patti Labelle in the upcoming film Mama I want to sing, which is based on the worldwide hit off-Broadway musical. Ciara is playing a preacher’s daughter of a church choir who becomes a pop star. Mama, I Want to Sing will be released straight to DVD early 2009. Ciara is now in the studio working on her new album. Ciara said she want this album to go big, and according to many observers, the album may turn out to be just that: a HUGE success.Also see Akon: Birth of a legend Kanye West: part 2, the story continues Kanye West: A Unique rapper Chris Brown: R&B Elite singer Milca: New Haitian diva crowned in Paris while Konpa is breaking new groundsWyclef Jean: An Artist With A MissionTyler Perry: A success storyRobyn Rihanna Fenty: A shining starAmerie M.M. Rogers: The R&B PrincessNote: Isgaelle Isma is a sophomore at Nease High School in Ponte Vedra Florida. She wrote this piece exclusively for CSMS Magazine.