Ciara talks about her new song with Chris Brown and what her fans can expect from new music, reflects on the success of her debut album 'Goodies' 20 years later, what it's like to work with K-Pop artists, how she deals with online drama, and more!
Category
🎵
MusicTranscript
00:00 And do we got any other collabs on it? We do. Okay, okay. Any T's? Just know there's some more Atlanta in this thing. I'm so excited. Oh, ATL. There's some more Atlanta, some more ATL. We're doing it. We're doing it. I hope it's Luda. Oh. What's up guys? It's Ciara here and right now you're watching Billboard News.
00:17 Princess is here. Ciara.
00:32 Hey, it's Tetris with Billboard News and Georgia is in the building. Ciara, what's up? How you doing? Amazing. Happy to be here. Thank you for coming. We got to talk about this. It kind of blew my mind. Next year is going to be 20 years since your debut album, Goodies, came out. How are you feeling? Like, what's your evolution? How do you feel 20 years later?
00:53 Oh my gosh, I feel blessed. I feel like I'm just getting started at the same time. To know that it was 20 years ago, that I was this little really, really ambitious, dreaming big. I envisioned that I'd be sitting somewhere like this 20 years later.
01:06 And talking about dreaming big, I mean, you started so strong. Did you know at that moment, I remember obviously being in Atlanta at the time and just like Goodies and One Two Step being such massive songs that you can play at weddings and wherever. Everybody's going to know the words. Did you feel that at the moment?
01:22 I did. I'm not going to say, "Oh, I didn't know." I really believed in myself and I really believed in my vision at that time. I was this little young, headstrong girl, young girl, like, "You know, I want to do this and I want to do it like this and I'm going to do it like that." I was that girl.
01:42 I just on camera documented right at the graduation. So the guy says, "Sierra, where do you see yourself a year from now?" And my super Atlanta thick accent, "I see myself having number one song on the Billboard chart." All that. And then literally Goodies was number one on the Billboard chart. I dreamed big. I always dreamed big.
01:56 I love that. And you wouldn't remember this, but back when you were touring at that time, you came to my college and I opened for you actually.
02:03 Oh my gosh!
02:04 I was a budding performer at the time. Did my little opening set before you performed. And I was watching that video before this interview and I was thinking like, "Man, who was I at that time?" And so I want to ask you the same question. When you look back at those videos, what advice would you give your old self 20 years ago?
02:20 Whatever's meant for you is going to happen for you when it's supposed to. Even you saying it's now close to 20 years since the beginning for me, I've still yet to do all the things that I aspire to do, but I'm also starting to do a lot of things that I wanted to do now.
02:34 So let's talk about the stuff you're working on right now. We got a new banger, as if we ever doubt you're going to give us a bop.
02:44 "How We Roll" with Chris Brown. I mean, the vibe of the song so far. I mean, just love, summer, all the things. So tell me about creating this track.
02:52 On this record, "How We Roll," it is a great example. It's that feel good R&B dance, you know, rhythmic, just like melodic energy that you can play at a house party. Someone said the house party off right.
03:04 And then of course, Breezy and I coming together. This has been something that we wanted to do for a long time. It was, I would say, an artist's dream come true for the both of us. And our fans have told us that they wanted this for a long time. So we're like, we gotta make this happen. And the moment and song couldn't be any better.
03:18 Now let's talk about the EP in general. You have a whole new EP coming out August 18. So what else can you tease about the project? What can we expect from the new CC?
03:31 This is classic me, but elevated. You know, I'm meeting myself where I am right now. It's got a super strong R&B core in this project, which again, that's CC to me. CC's that turn that lip up, she get a little stank like this, you know.
03:43 And we miss the classic R&B.
03:44 I say to Ciara, you know, she keep it cute. You know, she's a mom of three, all that good stuff. But to CC, you know, and Ciara, she stay unbothered. But CC kind of, she sometimes she want the smoke.
03:55 She got a little attitude.
03:56 Sometimes she want to turn up, you know, and I still connected to who I am, you know, but I really wanted to bring that classic R&B energy to this to this record.
04:06 Also, you collab with XG recently, which was crazy. So tell me about being involved in the K-pop world.
04:15 I love that you performed the song. You've done TikToks. Like, what was it like to be with XG?
04:20 I'm obsessed with like the K-pop Asian community music world. Being able to work with artists like XG and Jackson Wang and Agnes Mo was a treat for me.
04:32 I feel like I'm touching and tapping into a lot of the boxes that I've always wanted to. And that was one of them. And that audience is so special.
04:40 It's fascinating to see how they react to their own artists. I'm like, that's the energy that you want, right? That's the energy that you want to be a part of.
04:48 The one thing I wanted to ask you, because I always think about this from the other side, is that like black Twitter.
04:56 OK, that's what we call it, black Twitter. And I feel like whether they're discussing future or your amazing relationship with Russell or they throw the kids in it.
05:03 Anytime any of you do something, it's a three day debate. Everybody's got think pieces going. Do you read any of that stuff? Do y'all laugh about it?
05:11 Do y'all like, did you see what these people talk about today? Remember I said, Sierra, she keeps it cute. And you know, up there, Cece, you know, sometimes she wants to say a couple of things.
05:21 I think what we always say in life is, you know, keep the main thing the main thing. You know, so for me, that's always my philosophy. I'm always focused on joy.
05:29 It is a little bit of that unbothered energy. So, yeah, that's how I kind of look at life. I want to live my life full of joy and happiness and just good stuff.
05:40 So I need some of your energy because I was like I would be popping off all over Twitter, but that's why I'm not on there.
05:45 But thank you so much. We love having you here and love and joy. We'll leave with that.
05:49 We also chatted with Sierra about her skin care line. Oh, I am. For more on her and I am. Check it out in her segment on Billboard's Talk Shop Live Channel.
05:58 channel.
05:59 [Music]
05:59 (upbeat music)