What is "ciara"

n. (given name female from=Irish), a new Irish feminine form of Ciaran.

Ciara Princess Wilson ( Harris; born October 25, 1985), known mononymously as Ciara (pronounced , ), is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, dancer, actress and fashion model. Born in Austin, Texas, she traveled around the world during her childhood, eventually moving to Atlanta, Georgia where she joined the girl group Hearsay (not to be confused with the British group Hear'Say); however, the group disbanded after having differences. It was at this time Ciara was noticed for her songwriting. In 2002, Ciara met music producer Jazze Pha. With his help, she signed a record deal with LaFace Records.

In 2004, Ciara released her debut studio album Goodies, which spawned three hit singles: " Goodies", " 1, 2 Step", and " Oh". The album was certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and earned her four nominations at the 48th Annual Grammy Awards. She released her second studio album, Ciara: The Evolution, in 2006 which spawned the hit singles " Get Up", " Promise", and " Like a Boy". The album reached number one in the U.S. and was certified platinum.

Her third studio album, Fantasy Ride, released in 2009, was considerably less successful than Ciara's first two albums. However, it produced the international top-ten single " Love Sex Magic" featuring Justin Timberlake, which earned her a Grammy Award nomination for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals. The following year, Ciara released her fourth studio album Basic Instinct, which was met with low sales and continued a downward trend in her commercial performance. In 2011, she signed a new record deal with Epic Records, and released her self-titled fifth studio album, Ciara, in 2013 which was preceded by the U.S. R&B/Hip-Hop top-ten single" Body Party". In 2015, Ciara released her sixth album Jackie, which included the singles " I Bet" and " Dance Like We're Making Love". The album debuted at number 17 on the Billboard 200 and sold 19,000 copies, which made it her lowest first-week album sales to date.

Ciara has also transitioned into acting in 2006 she made her film debut it All You've Got, followed by Mama, I Want to Sing! (2012) and That's My Boy (2012). In 2013, Ciara had a recurring role in the US TV series, The Game. Since making her musical debut in 2004, Ciara has attained eight Billboard Hot 100 top-ten singles, including a number one. She has also earned numerous awards and accolades, including three BET Awards, three MTV Video Music Awards, three MOBO Awards, and one Grammy Award. To date, Ciara has sold over 23 million records worldwide.

Ciara is a popular Irish language female name and was tenth on the list of most popular names given to baby girls in Ireland in 2006. It is the feminine version of the name Ciarán, meaning "dark-haired" in Irish Gaelic, and was also the name of Saint Ciara, a seventh-century Irish saint venerated by the Roman Catholic Church. The name's spelling is often Anglicized as Keira, Kiera, Keara or Kira.

In the United States, the name Ciara is also sometimes pronounced . This pronunciation may have been further promoted in part by the popularity of a perfume brand called Ciara (pronounced , "C-R-uh" after the initials of Charles Revson) created by Revlon in 1973. It is also occasionally used in the United States as a spelling variant of the name Sierra, as popularized by the American R&B singer Ciara Harris.

Ciara is an American singer-songwriter.

Ciara may also refer to:

• Ciara (given name), a popular Irish female name
• Ciara: The Evolution, an album by Ciara (2006)
• Ciara (album), an album by Ciara (2013)
• Jay-Z & Ciara Live, 2009 summer concert tour
• Saint Cera, or Ciara, an Irish abbess in the 7th century
• LÉ Ciara (P42), a patrol vessel in the Irish Naval Service

Ciara is the fifth studio album by American singer Ciara, which was released on July 9, 2013. This album is the artist's first release under Epic Records, since publicly asking the now-defunct Jive Records to release her from her contractual obligations. The singer cited a lack of label support and financial funding for her previous albums Fantasy Ride (2009) and Basic Instinct (2010). On this fifth studio album, Ciara is reunited with her long-term mentor and friend L.A. Reid, chairman of Epic Records. Reid is credited with discovering Ciara in 2003 along with signing her to his LaFace Records label and executive-producing her debut studio album, Goodies (2004).

On Ciara, the singer is reunited with music producers Rodney Jerkins and Jasper Cameron, who have respectively worked on previous Ciara singles and albums. The duo were joined by The Underdogs, Soundz, D'Mile, Oligee, Josh Abraham and Mike Will Made It, amongst others. Writing contributions come from the likes of singer-songwriters: Wynter Gordon, Livvi Franc and Ali Tamposi, along with a number of contributions from Ciara herself. Rappers Future and Nicki Minaj respectively have guest vocals on the album, whilst Ciara herself is listed as a featured artist on the song "Super Turnt Up", a record where she raps and takes credit for co-producing the song.

Promoting the release of this album, all three singles; including " Sweat" featuring 2 Chainz, " Sorry", and " Got Me Good" were released, when the album was titled One Woman Army. None of the songs impacted on the US Billboard Hot 100 and were subsequently swept aside in favor of a new single, titled " Body Party", which reached at number 22 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 8 on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. " I'm Out" featuring Nicki Minaj, was released as the album's second single in June 2013. " Overdose" was released as the album's third single, it was serviced to American Urban and Rhythmic radio in September and October 2013, respectively.

Upon its release, Ciara was met with a warm reception from music critics, who complimented the album as one of the strongest in her discography, but criticized the lack of identity and lasting impression that the album makes. The album debuted at number 2 on the US Billboard 200 chart, with first-week sales of 59,000 copies, becoming her fourth top three album on the chart. As of April 2015, the album has sold 208,000 copies in the United States.