September 08, 2004 @ 1:20 pm

VIBE Magazine: NEXT > Ciara - Model Performer

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I’ve been singing all my life, but it was never my focus,” Ciara Harris says with a shrug while sitting in an uptown Atlanta café. “I wanted to be a professional model.” But working the runway wasn’t to be for the ATL-born stunner. Her true calling would be revealed to her when she saw Destiny’s Child on television in

Fired up by her epiphany, Ciara joined a short-lived girl trio named Hear Say before going solo at the urging of the group's manager, Anthony "TA" Tate. The self-professed military brat (her mother served in the Air Force and her father was a sergeant in the Army) began feverishly practicing and studying her sonic heroes: Whitney Houston, Patti LaBelle, and Janet Jackson. "I set a goal," says Ciara. "And I was going to do whatever it took to be on top." Tate introduced Ciara to local hitmaker Jazze Pha, who quickly signed the singer to a production deal with his Sho-Nuff label in 2002. "When I met her, she was just a 17-year-old with a great voice and a beautiful spirit," he says. "Now she's a polished, exceptional talent." Under Pha's tutelage, Ciara landed an audition with then Arista CEO Antonio "LA" Reid, who promptly added the eager artist to the LaFace fold. Now, with her Sho-Nuff/LaFace/ Zomba Label Group debut, Goodies, anchored by the Lil Jon-produced title track-a booty bouncing banger-Ciara is well on her way to fulfilling her musical fate. "I'm the first lady to do a crunk 'n' B record," she boasts. "But my album introduces other components and attributes that make up Ciara." And Ciara's most endearing trait is her unyielding drive to succeed. "Now I take performing very seriously," she says. "Creating what people love is valuable to me, and that's what has gotten me where I am today." Plus a little bit of serendipity. To Read More Stories Like This, Cop An Issue Of VIBE At Your Local Newsstand Now! Better Yet Click Here! To Receive a Full Year of VIBE for $11.95!

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