If you haven’t noticed, life is good for Ciara Harris. But, make no mistake, it’s only going to get better.
“I have tons of plans,” says the 23-year-old R&B star. “I want to do a lot more when it comes to TV and film. I’m hoping to do action and comedy movies.”
The Austin, Texas-born vocalist has already taken the do-everything branding strategy — which other singers like Jennifer Lopez and Britney Spears have mastered — to heart. Ciara’s just released Fantasy Ride, her third record, she’s joined a renowned modeling agency, she’s starred in a host of films, and she runs her own dance company.
Managing her ambitions seems like it would be a full-time job on its own, but Ciara says it’s as simple as finding the right balance. “When you have a goal you have to make it all work,” she says. “After I’m done touring, that’s when I’ll do movies.”
While it might sound like the soulful singer has her life worked out, she admits that accomplishing everything requires some superhero-like magic. That’s one reason why she’s developed an alter-ego, the comic book character Super C.
“That’s my inner superhero,” she explains. “It’s my drive to help me overcome obstacles. For relationships to work I have to be strong, that’s the Super C in me.”
The new album’s artwork actually looks and feels like a comic book, but there’s no Batman (her favourite character) style brawls here. “My superpower is the power to move you,” she says. “My goal is to inspire people through the power of performance and the power to inspire dreams. My story didn’t involve me coming from a glamorous life, so I’m here to say where you come from does not determine who you can become.”
While her comic book hero self does espouse some inspirational messages on Fantasy Ride, it’s also evident that Super C likes finding herself in some not so PG-13 situations.
In Love, Sex, Magic, a frenetic pop tune with Justin Timberlake, she sings: “What’s your favorite trick that you wanna use on me and I’ll volunteer. And I’ll be flowing and going till clothing disappears, ain’t nothing but shoes on me.”
She explains that she tries to write something for everyone, even for her mom, though it’s unclear if Mrs. Harris approves of the more sex-drenched tunes on the record.
Still, whether her mom likes it or not, this album is almost guaranteed to be a hit. Besides JT, the disc features appearances by Ludacris, Missy Elliot and the now controversial Chris Brown, while the tunes are just as infectious as anything she’s done before.
What’s clear from the album and from Ciara’s future plans, is that the singer is more self-assured than ever, and that might be the only super power she needs. “I’m getting more and more confident by the day,” she says. “I have more wisdom, experience and an understanding of what’s going on. And that growth has, more than anything, become a huge part of what I do.”
