Ciara also guest appeared on the 2005 singles "Lose Control" by Missy Elliott and "Like You" by Bow Wow, both of which peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100.

Ciara's third studio album, Fantasy Ride (2009), spawned top ten single "Love Sex Magic" (featuring Justin Timberlake), which was nominated for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards.

The following year, Ciara signed a modeling contract with IMG,[3] became a Global Brand Ambassador for the cosmetics company Revlon,[4] and married quarterback Russell Wilson.

[15] During her teens, Ciara and her family settled in College Park, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta, where she attended North Clayton High School before graduating from Riverdale.

In 2002, the two recorded four demos: "1, 2 Step", "Thug Style", "Pick Up the Phone", and "Lookin' at You", which all appeared on her debut album that was released two years later.

[23][24] Following the success of the album, Ciara released a CD/DVD entitled Goodies: The Videos & More in the United States on July 12, 2005, which featured remixes to "1, 2 Step" and "Oh", as well as two new songs.

"Like a Boy" was released as the second international single which reached within the top 20 in the UK,[31] Finland,[32] France, Ireland, Sweden[33] Switzerland, and also in the United States.

[38] In October 2008, Ciara was honored as Billboard's "Woman of the Year", because of her success as a recording artist and leadership in embracing the changing music business.

The album's official lead single, "Never Ever", which features Young Jeezy, was released in the United States in January 2009 and reached a peak of number nine on the U.S.

[44] Her performance received rave reviews from critics and fans alike, who noted her dancing skills as being spectacular and arguably better than Britney Spears'.

The song achieved minimal success in the U.S.. Ciara was also featured on Enrique Iglesias' single, "Takin' Back My Love", from his Greatest Hits album.

She told Pete Lewis of Blues & Soul magazine that the album is about her trusting her instinct and going back to the R&B/urban basics, in the days of "Goodies" and "1, 2 Step".

[46] It was executive-produced by the singer alongside her A&R agent Mark Pitts and writing/production duo Tricky Stewart and The-Dream who also produced records for her previous album, Fantasy Ride.

[53] In November 2010, Ciara performed at the Summerbeatz tour alongside Flo Rida, Jay Sean, Akon, Travie McCoy and Ja Rule.

[55] In February 2011, following rumors that Ciara had been dropped by Jive Records, she released an official statement to her Facebook page complaining of inadequate promotion and funding from the label.

[102] After taking a break from music to focus on her pregnancy, Ciara released a song and video titled "Rooted", featuring Ester Dean, on August 13, 2020.

[134][135] Allison Stewart of The Washington Post commented that she has a "reedy, agile voice, capable of conveying the only three emotions (sexy, sassy, sad) an R&B singer needs".

[136] Randall Roberts of the Los Angeles Times said that she "has been the most synthetic of the R&B divas over the past decade, an electro-leaning vocalist whose instrumental palate has heavily favored stark 808 beats, sassy and seductive vocal lines, and, often, weird, futuristic Gary Numan-esque bleeps woven through.

[152] Moultrie continued to call her dance steps "incredible", notings her "pelvic thrusts", "body bending twists", "periodic bursts of light", and commending her for being in sync with the music.

In summary, he praised Ciara's live performances for their "high-energy songs, sexy dance moves, flawless vocals, and [the] top-flight light show".

"[155] Vincent Jackson of The Press of Atlantic City also noted Ciara's limited vocal ability when critiquing her first headlining tour, but praised her confidence and approved of her decision "to put most of her energy into her almost nonstop, aerobic dance performance".

[157][158] Writing for The Guardian, Bim Adewunmi said "She makes music to dance to, and her videos are testament to that ... Ciara's currency as a dancer is precision and high difficulty.

Her body becomes a sort of human syncopated beat – an urgent thing, parts moving seemingly independently but all working to a greater good.

Though she's never quite regained that initial "princess of crunk-n-B" level of mainstream stardom, she has sustained a cult fanbase and delivered a remarkably consistent run of songs to back it up.

[189][190][191] Along with the wildly popular #LevelUp dance challenge that accompanied, the song was pushed to the forefront of Arizona politician Mark Kelly's winning campaign for the senate.

[194] Canadian underground producer Jacques Greene was convinced to prioritize his music career after his song "Another Girl", which leaned on her vocals, gained traction.

[158] The publication also said her dance videos created a template for artists like Tinashe and raised discussion on female sexuality before feminism became more prominent in the music industry.

[199] Ciara has been cited as a musical influence or inspiration by many artists, including Ari Lennox,[200] Baby Tate,[201] Chloe × Halle,[202] DaniLeigh,[203] Dawn Richard,[204] Dua Lipa,[205] Flo,[206] Girls' Generation,[207] Grimes,[208] Haim,[209] Iza,[210] Jackson Wang,[211] Jesy Nelson,[212] Jhené Aiko,[213] Kehlani,[214] Keke Palmer,[215] Kyla,[216] LaTocha Scott,[217] Latto,[218] Layton Greene,[219] Lil Mama,[220] Masego,[221] Normani,[222] Rauw Alejandro,[223] Scott Hoying,[224] Tate McRae,[225] Taylor Swift,[226] Tierra Whack,[227] Tinashe,[228] Victoria Monét,[229] and 2ne1.

[249] The book, cowritten with JaNay Brown-Wood and released on March 1, 2022, received a starred review from School Library Journal[250] and was a New York Times bestseller.

[258] They would also partner with the NFL Players Association and Goalsetter to open checking accounts for students at Denny International Middle School with a donation of $35,000 in May 2021.