Ciara

Ciara reached her dreams in such young age. With her strong will and ambition to reach the top, she has actually topped both U.S. and U.K. charts with her single "Goodies" in 2004. The single, which she co-wrote along with Sean Garret, has made her won the 2005 Soul Train Music Award for R&B-Soul or Rap New Artist shared with Petey Pablo.

Being raised in a family with military background did not stop Ciara to explore her singing talent. The family lived in basses in Germany, New York, California, Arizona and Nevada before eventually settling in Atlanta, Georgia. The girl who was born on October 25, 1985, never wished to follow her parents' track in military and decided to become a singer instead.

"I remember watching Destiny's Child perform on TV one day," she said. "That's when I made up my mind: 'Hey I wanna do this.' I watched my peers around me and they were worried about who's wearing what, going to school, trying to talk to somebody and I was like 'I'm trying to be somebody. What can I do to get there as soon as possible?' "

After seeing the group, she wrote her plan to become a singer on a piece of paper and cut out most of her daily activities. She also went to audition for a girl group called Hearsay. Realizing that the group did not take her anywhere, the singer who is born Ciara Harris left the group to pursue a solo career.

Ciara at last landed a publishing deal and met producer Jazze Pha, whom she claimed as her music soul mate. With the help from Pha and Lil Jon, a producer who dubbed her as Lady of Crunk, Ciara released her debut number-one single "Goodies" in 2004. To her surprise, this song became a hit, reaching the top of the United States pop charts, and also charting in the United Kingdom in January 2005, while reaching number one in Australia, Germany, Sweden, and New Zealand as well.

Then, came her first album, also titled "Goodies", released on September 28, 2004. This set capitulated the singer to widespread recognition. Not only was the LP spawn three top ten singles, but also it sold close to three million copies in the U.S. alone, while also earning various awards and nominations. The second single of the singer, dubbed "1, 2 Step" featuring Missy Elliott, was released in the U.K. on April 11 and reached the top ten in the U.S., peaking at number ten in early 2005.

Already becoming a household name, Ciara next released her third single, "Oh" featuring Ludacris, in May 2005 and it immediately reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100. Amid this glorious year, this talented songbird also was tapped by fellow hip hop artists to be featured on their singles, such as Elliott's "Lose Control" from her album "The Cookbook" which peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and Bow Wow's second single from his album "Wanted," entitled "Like You".

At the end of the year Ciara made use her time going on tour with other teen pop sensations like Bow Wow and Chris Brown for the "Holladay Jam" which stopped at big cities such as New York and Atlanta. Ciara's singing career, nevertheless, reached its peak when on February 8, 2006 she, along with Missy Elliott, won the Grammy for Best Short Form Music Video. It was her first ever Grammy award.

As for her love life, this so-called the first lady of crunk&B embarked on a romance with the prince of hip hop Bow Wow and both had remained low on their relationship until he was spotted getting along with another woman in early April 2006, prompting speculation on the couple's split.

This, unfortunately, was proven true when a rep for Ciara remarked that the couple had indeed split and that "their parting was amicable." Meanwhile, Bow Wow confirmed the report as saying, "Ciara and I have parted ways. I wish her all the best."

Despite a hitch on her personal life, Ciara stayed on track on her professional career. After two years of hard works, she dropped a sophomore set "Ciara: The Evolution" which sent her soar high at the very top spot on Hot 200 with its singles busting various charts in the country.

With two albums in her catalogue, she headlined her first solo tour and got praised for her energetic dance routines on stage. In the same year, she made her acting debut in the MTV Films production "All You've Got" as a girl who competed in a volleyball tournament. As her popularity rose and her career expanded, she was tapped as a brand ambassador for Jay-Z's Rocawear.

All those achievements in the past years led her to be named Billboard's Woman of the Year in 2008. A year later, her third album "Fantasy Ride" was launched but unfortunately couldn't match the same success of its two predecessors.

But she's gradually back on the music map with her fourth set "Basic Instinct" in 2010. Though it was not a chart-topper, it still performed better than her 2009 effort. Her single "Love Sex Magic" featuring Justin Timberlake peaked at No. 10 on Hot 100.

Following her two last CDs, Ciara left her label Jive Records in 2011 for a new home in L.A. Reid's Epic Records. A new album was long in the process. After a string of promo songs that were released on the internet, she finally announced that her next installment will be a self-titled one.

"I'm Out" which features Nicki Minaj and "Body Party" were released ahead of the 2013 album release. The former climbed to No. 16 on R&B Songs chart and at No. 50 on Hot 100, while the latter reached No. 7 on R&B Songs and No. 25 on the U.S. singles rundown.

The 2013 self-titled effort was later released in July 2013 and peaked at No. 2 on Billboard 200. Later in September, producer Mike WiLL Made It revealed that Ciara had begun working on her sixth studio album. She confirmed the news herself in December.

Not much was heard about the album in 2014. She finally announced in early 2015 that the record would be called "Jackie", a nod to her mother. Its lead single "I Bet", which was reportedly inspired by her break-up with her baby daddy Future, was released in January and reached No. 43 on Billboard Hot 100.

"Jackie" is scheduled for release on May 1. It features contributions from Pitbull, Joe Jonas, Missy Elliott and T.I. among others.

In support of the album, Ciara has announced plan to go on a tour, her first in six years. The first leg of the tour opens on May 3 and runs through May 31 and will come to 18 cities across the United States.