Just after Ciara's electrifying performance during night two of Missy Elliott's Out Of This World Tour in Atlanta on July 28, the singer's hometown bestowed her with one of her most full-circle moments to date: Ciara Day.
The proclamation is a testament to the remarkable career Ciara has built since her 2004 debut: billions of streams, over 23 million records sold, 13 platinum hits, and a GRAMMY, as well as an expanding business portfolio, including her accessories line Dare To Roam and skincare brand On A Mission. But none of it would've been possible without her groundbreaking debut album, Goodies.
Ciara released the empowering title track a year after she graduated high school, and she knew she was destined for success before the album's first single was ever heard.
"At my high school graduation, a gentleman with a camera asked me, 'Where do you see yourself a year from now?'" she recalls to GRAMMY.com. "And in my super thick Atlanta accent, I said, 'I see myself having the No. 1 song on the Billboard charts.' The power of manifestation is real, and that's been the story of my life and career."
The answer to Usher's "Yeah!" and Petey Pablo's "Freak-a-Leek," "Goodies" didn't just hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in September 2004 — it thrusted Ciara into superstardom. The Lil Jon-helmed production (which, perhaps ironically, features Pablo) spent seven weeks atop the chart, becoming the longest-running No. 1 debut by a female artist since 1977.
The success of "Goodies" earned Ciara the title of "Princess of Crunk&B"; it also introduced the masterful contrast of pulse-pounding beats and breathy, angelic vocals that would soon become her signature. And two weeks after "Goodies" reached No. 1, Ciara delivered its namesake album on Sept. 28, 2004, further solidifying herself as R&B's newest superstar.
Debuting at No. 3 on the all-genre Billboard 200 chart, Goodies went on to sell over five million copies worldwide and spawned two more megahits: "1, 2 Step" with Missy Elliott and the Ludacris-featuring "Oh." Both club-ready tunes narrowly missed the top spot on the Hot 100, but they were enough to earn Ciara a Best New Artist nomination at the 2006 GRAMMYs (where "1, 2 Step" was also nominated for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration).
To commemorate Goodies' 20th anniversary, Ciara is reissuing her iconic album through a limited edition double LP vinyl record that includes bonus tracks as well as a dance remix of "Goodies." To drive home the nostalgia, Ciara, now 38, even recreated the pink-themed album cover.
In celebration of the album's legacy — and the release of a brand new track with Busta Rhymes, "Wassup" — GRAMMY.com sat down with Ciara to discuss why "Goodies" was the perfect song to launch her career, how Missy Elliott's "surprise" appearance on "1, 2 Step" happened, and what it means to be an inspiration for the next generation of R&B stars.
This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.
From the message to that unmistakable whistling crunk beat, everything about "Goodies" is so unapologetic. Where did you find the confidence to deliver such a bold statement like that at 17?
I was only a teenager, but I wanted to be very clear through my music and how I expressed myself right out of the gate. I wanted some stank in my music. To me, "Goodies" is the perfect embodiment of what I call "ghetto pop," because I want my music to go from the hoods of Atlanta to the suburbs of Atlanta and the suburbs in London.
I kept thinking to myself, What's going to be my statement to the world? What do I want to stand for? I wanted to speak to young girls around the world like, It's not that easy for someone to have your love. Your love is special, right? Especially over a beat that went so hard, my mentality was, We're not just going to make this a club record; we've got to talk about something.
I was toying with the idea of referring to your love as your goodies. For a while, I was using the word "cookies" instead of "goodies," but I'm like, That's just not it, that's not broad enough. We knocked out the melody and most of the verses in Miami, but the hook took the longest. It was like a month of riding in my car, playing it and perfecting it line by line. Every line mattered for me while making that record.
The mid-2000s saw some great crunk records from the ladies, like Brooke Valentine's "Girlfight" and "Do It To It" by Cherish, but you were the first woman to touch the genre with "Goodies." You were crowned the "Princess of Crunk&B" — or "First Lady of Crunk&B" depending on whom you ask — but what did that title signify to you at the time?
I ran away from that, to be honest. I understood the love they were trying to show me, but it was really important to me to not be limited to that sound because there's more to me. "Goodies" doesn't embody the full sound of my work, you know?
In reference to being the first woman to lead with the crunk sound, I definitely felt really proud of it. It's amazing because this song continues to breathe and live and thump. When I was on tour this past summer, seeing the audience respond to the record as if it's a new record is so cool. When I listen to the song today, the beat hits just as hard as it did back then, so it's a timeless record. That's the song that keeps on giving. I don't think I could have started off my career any better than what I did with that song.
At some point, I was signed to Arista Records, and I was so excited because that was my dream label. But unfortunately, the entire executive staff that signed me ended up going to another label. I had to re-audition for Jive and that was a process within itself, but I had already recorded "Goodies." I was like, I know I have this one song that's my song. It was like carrying around this golden ticket.
I was very adamant about the song, so I stuck with it — and luckily I did, because it was a perfect way to say, "Hello world." I believed so much in how the song made me feel and how I thought it would make the world feel.
"1, 2 Step" marked the first of multiple times that you and Missy Elliott joined forces musically. Her co-sign gave you credibility early on, but did you ever expect for one song to blossom into this lifelong friendship?
Missy hopping on "1, 2 Step" was a surprise for me. Jazze Pha produced the track, and he knew I wanted to work with her, so he took it among himself to send her the beat. I didn't know he was doing all this. Then, like a week later, he brought it back to me. Jazze played the beat and I heard "This beat is automatic..." coming through the speakers. I'm like, Oh my God. Some of the words were a little different than what you hear now. There's actually a version of it floating around somewhere.
I am indebted to Missy believing in me from day one, because I was still a baby. For her being as big as she is and reaching back to me and giving me love and lifting me up, that's so powerful. She's like a sister to me and we've been friends ever since; we've made some really special songs together. It's so cool when your friendship is just as great as the music you make.
I don't know how many people realize this, but you co-wrote the majority of your debut album, and you even struck a publishing deal as a songwriter when you were still in high school. As a teenager, were you drawing from real life? Things you wish had happened? A combination?
Everywhere; personal experiences, cultural experiences. It's funny to hear my younger self sing love songs while knowing nothing about love. I hadn't really lived life like that to have the full depth and understanding, but what's so special about music is that it gives you the space to storytell, to dream, to have fun.
I was having so much fun making music. I think back to all the friendships I was building around that time — a lot of those people are still rocking with me today. I didn't go to college, but it was that kind of energy.
Again, I wanted to make sure I really expressed myself in full at the beginning because that sets the tone. The first time the world meets you, that's how they'll see you for the most part. I was a tomboy, and I was from Decatur, Georgia. I wanted to make my own version of what I loved and what made me feel good. I want people to feel that way when they listen to my music.
At the 2006 GRAMMYs, you were up for four awards. That same night, you won your first GRAMMY for Best Short Form Music Video thanks to your "Lose Control" collab with Missy Elliott. What are your memories from that night as a first-time nominee-turned-winner?
The GRAMMYs is the top of the mountain that you aspire to reach at some point in time in your career, especially when you're first getting started. Now, listen, what I love to have more GRAMMYs? Of course. I would love to fill the countertops in my office with more trophies. But at that moment, it was so special to be acknowledged at that level and to be in the same room with so many incredible artists — some who inspired me, some who were dreaming just like I was dreaming.
The night went by fast. The world was moving so fast for me that I don't think I ever really stopped to smell the flowers because instinctively, you're just grinding. I wanted to keep momentum going. That's why whenever I meet a new artist, I'm always telling them to live in the moment of what's happening because when you're experiencing that level of success, it goes by so fast. It's beyond what words could describe, but I truly was so proud, smiling from ear to ear. And I felt so motivated to keep on going. To have success of that magnitude right out the gate was such a blessing.
You've reached a point now in your career where so many younger R&B stars like Victoria Monét and Normani are giving you your flowers and paying homage to you in their music videos. Are you able to fully receive that outpouring of love and appreciation?
To receive love from this newer generation of artists means a lot. Victoria has been grinding for so long. She's a true example of why you don't give up. She deserves this moment that's happening for her.
Normani is another young woman that's like a sister to me. To be in a successful girl group and then to go out and carve out your own lane is not easy to do. I feel like she's just getting started and has already done so much.
I know what artists that came before me meant to me when I was grinding and wishing for my dream to happen, so to hear people say positive things about me or say some of the things that I would say about artists that inspired me is surreal.
It's crazy, because I feel like I'm getting started in a lot of ways. One of my latest singles, "Run It Up" [with BossMan Dlow] is one of those anthemic bangers that's going to make you feel motivated and want to turn up in the club and have the best time. I'm kind of popping off a little bit on the verses. It's a play on words; you can run it up at the gym, you can run it up when you go shopping.
Right now, I'm in a very fun space. I'm not overthinking the process of music. I'm going where music takes me, and I'm having fun while doing it.
How do you view the impact Goodies had on both your career and on crunk and R&B music as a whole 20 years later?
When I was around 14, I wrote down three goals on a sheet of paper. The first goal was to get discovered. The second goal was to sell three or four million albums once I got discovered. Then, the third goal was all about longevity. I've been able to live out my dreams and then some.
When you're on this journey, you're thankfully going to receive a lot of love along the way, but you're also going to have those who may count you out. It's just the way that it goes — and when people try to count you out, it lets you know you're doing something right.
There's that classic line from JAY-Z's ["Reminder"] that goes, "Men lie, women lie, numbers don't." People can doubt you or say whatever, but at the end of the day, they can't rewrite the history I made with that record. And it's been cemented in such a way that no one can take that away.
I'm proud to know that I was able to make a sweet contribution to music, and to know that even 20 years later, people still love the record, and new fans come along because of that record. I'm forever grateful for that magic.