Ciara took a major bet on herself and won almost 20 years ago.
In an interview with Bustle published on Thursday, Feb. 13, the “Goodies” singer spoke about leaking her song “Promise” in 2006 after an executive at Sony called it “the worst R&B record.” Ciara, 39, took matters into her own hands with the risky move.
“We leaked it at an Atlanta radio station and literally the song took off and was a monster,” she recalled. The result? “I ended up having my first No. 1 album. And that week was a big week — it was me, Gwen Stefani, Eminem, everyone.”
Ciara also reflected on spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to promote her 2010 song “Gimme Dat” as a single and music video — a bet that didn’t pay off with the song rising in music charts like “Promise” did.
“There’s been times when maybe it doesn’t work as well as I thought it would,” she said. “But I’ve been pretty consistent in my belief, so I won’t stop believing.”
In terms of measuring success, Ciara wouldn’t let accolades define them for her with the example of her 2013 song “Body Party” and its No. 1 placement on R&B/hip-hop radio.
“You would think that that metric would automatically classify you for a nomination, right? No. 1 song, moving the needle in a pretty cool direction, I would say, and I don’t have a nomination.”
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“If I was basing it off of the metrics [of awards], then I would feel like I failed,” she added.
Over 20 years since releasing Goodies, Ciara is still embracing music. She was on tour in 2024 with Missy Elliott, Busta Rhymes and Timbaland for the Out of This World — The Missy Elliott Experience, and she brought her family along with her for part of it.
She exclusively told PEOPLE what it was like bringing her husband Russell Wilson and children Future, Sienna, Win and Amora with her for the summertime leg. “My kids traveled with me, and I couldn’t have done it any other way.”
“They were like little precious babies of a tour having so much fun with Auntie, Missy, and Uncle Busta,” she says. “I mean, it’s just the energy was just incredible.”
“So I can say the first summer with four that wasn’t too bad,” she added, alluding to the baby girl she welcomed with Wilson, 36, in December 2023. “I was like, ‘This is what life is about.’ So, the little joys in life. I’m so grateful.”
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