Ciara

Urban sultana Ciara has a face made for magazines, a body meant for dancing, and a hard-candy voice that says, "You may make me breathless, but I'm still in control." So, when the sexy chanteuse decided to dangle her "Goodies" in front of an out-of-luck wannabe on her tantalizing 2004 debut, that poor joe wasn't the only one who wanted more. Soon, Ciara was unveiling major moves in the groundbreaking video set to Missy Elliott's "Lose Control (featuring Ciara & Fat Man Scoop)" and following up her dazzling out-of-the-gate success with here-to-stay tracks like the sultry pledge "Promise," the bedroom game-changer "Like a Boy," and the come-and-get-it throwdown "Ride (feat. Ludacris)."

Meanwhile, we're following up our Ciara Basics with some Essential Next Steps.

On her own, Ciara has the ferocity to power street-beat monsters like "That's Right," and the tenderness to flavor tunes like "My Love" with just the right balance of inner strength and regret. As a collaborator, she brings an ability to stand out and blend in, making her the perfect team player whether she's joining forces with a Latin-pop icon ("Takin' Back My Love" with Enrique Iglesias), sharing an intimate duet with an old flame ("Like You" with Bow Wow), or getting the chance to make music with a personal hero (a "So So Def Remix" of "Feedback" from Janet Jackson).

Ciara Princess Harris was a little girl when she decided that making music was what she wanted to do with her life. And so she worked — honing her spectacular moves, refining her tough-and-tender soprano, shaping her songwriting craft —to the point where she was, at the age of 19, more than ready for her breakthrough 2004 debut. So was the rest of the world, who shot Ciara to multi-platinum success on the strength of get-up-and-dance commands like "One, Two Step (feat. Missy Elliott)" and sex-u-up steamers like "Oh (feat. Ludacris)." Since then, she's lent her pipes and presence to everyone from Nelly — "Stepped On My J'z (feat. Ciara & JD)" — to teen dream Tiffany Evans ("Promise Ring"), and stepped up her solo game to embrace Southern-style hip-hop ("So What" with Field Mob), and a little dance-pop sorcery ("Love Sex Magic" with Justin Timberlake).