Ciara
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R&B hitmaker Ciara entered a new phase in her career with her 2019 album Beauty Marks, her first release as an independent artist through her Beauty Marks Entertainment imprint. In the years since then, the “Goodies” singer has balanced releasing singles like “Jump” and the Summer Walker collab “Better Thangs” with growing her family, giving birth to her second and third children in 2020 and 2023. Now, six years after her last LP, the Grammy winner is back with her eighth studio album, CiCi.
CiCi’s release was preceded by an EP of the same name released in 2023. The album’s lead single “Ecstasy” dropped in April, with a remix featuring Normani and Teyana Taylor arriving in June. In a frank social media post, Ciara explained that the album is a “love letter” to her fans and “a celebration of the journey” she’s been on in the music industry over the past two decades.
“It’s been a journey of unlearning, rebuilding, and reclaiming what success looks like on my own terms,” she said. “This project took five years to build, and every beat, every lyric, every moment was made with intention—to lift you, to move you, to make you feel something.”
Though Ciara speaks about putting her personal life in her music, that doesn’t necessarily mean the project consists of emotional ballads. Ciara is back in her groove making club-ready tracks like she never left, including collaborations with Tyga on “Dance With Me,” Big Freedia on “Winning,” Busta Rhymes on “Wassup,” and Latto on “This Right Here.”
Regardless of when listeners were first introduced to the R&B star and what sounds they prefer to hear from her, chances are CiCi has something for them.
“[I] want to make sure that when I’m writing songs, there is a sincerity that comes through my lyrics, because I think that’s important,” she told L’Officiel of her process in creating new music. “I do use life; I do use my story. I think it’s a gift to be able to do it through song.”