After blazing out of the gate in 2005, Ciara‘s career looked oh-so-promising. Fast forward 6 years and her horizons aren’t looking as bright. Indeed, the last few years have been characterised by poor album sales, dwindling fan support, and a split with her longtime label Jive.
Despite this, many still cite the 25 year old as being one of the industry’s best performers, holding hope that she can one day bounce back.
Therefore, That Grape Juice took to the streets of Hollywood to hear out what the record-buying public think of the ‘Ride’ singer; what went wrong, and how – if at all – she can strike it big once again.
The bottom line is…Some entertainers just aren’t meant to thrive over a long period of time. Not everybody is a Janet or whoever. Ciara hed her moment and now it’s done. Period.
i think she need to step her music game up…she need to make her beats intresting and stop with the simple, predictable beats
Perfect comment. This is the bottom line.
The big mistake that was made with Ciara was, she abandoned the crunk sound to early, when she first came out. She should have stuck with the first lady of crunk image. Developed a certain sound like Janet did when she hit big. When she switched it up that is when people started abandoning her.
I know her & Jazzy Fae fell out. But whatever happened with them should have been fixed. “Goodies” fit her image perfectly . Then”O” & “123step”. Those songs had the Ciara sound & image.But the direction she went in after that killed her career.
“Ride” fit her to. But Jive took too long, to put her out there on every show Performing that song after its release. People got bored with her quick & moved on. She doesn’t have the right people behind her. I believe its too late. Plus she can’t sing at all. She can only dance. U can’t feel her vocals
She should get Jazze pha & lil John back & go with a harder urban image sound like when Mary J Blige first came out or give it up & start acting or modeling.
Well, that was harsh. But it’s Ciara, so it’s expected.
i like this!!!! maybe ciara should watch this? lmfao
I.CANT. most of them be givin real tea tho.. kudos!
I think Ciara ill just be fine any artist can make it with the right team behind them. Look at Rihanna for example, she has the right team behind her thats all. Im so sick of people saying its all about the voice because its not. Janet or Michael are not known for their voices or were powerhouse vocalist. People need to get hip with the program!!!!! Theres room for Ciara and she will return!!!!!
Michael.Not.A.Powerhouse.Vocalist ??????????????????
God Bless Your Heart.
I’m with you on the Janet comment…but the MJ comment???? o_O
The woman who said Ciara is boring, hit the nail on the head. Ciara IS boring, her voice is boring, her videos (except for the booty shaking) are also boring. She’s boring on twitter and she’s a boring interview.
That fugly chinese girl needs to sit down. When i look at her i go “UGH!”
Ciara has it all; Stunning Beauty, One of the best dancers, performers of our time, Great Songs, one of the best bodies in the game, humble, sweet, and dedicated to her fans. Ciara has all the ingredients to succeed and be bigger than these other artists who have less than half her talent, looks, and dedication. (see: Rihanna, Ke$ha, Britney, etc.) A true artist is passionate about their craft and Ciara brings her all to every performance because she lives for her career. Im sick of artists wearing trashbags, auto-tuning every song, and looking like a stiff board on stage, hitting #1 on the charts and being praised. “Basic Instinct” is very under-rated. Gimmie Dat was simply one of the best Music Videos of 2010 and if promoted, supported, and added to radio by Ciara’s Ex-record label, it could have easily been a chart-topping hit. In no, way, shape or form is Ciara the question! It is who is behind her, promoting and supporting her. JIVE was the cause of Ciara’s last commercial failure. Have You see “Gimmie Dat” Live performance on George Lopez? That alone should shut anybody up who doubts, if Ciara still “has it”. There is no artist out today who could have even came close to Ciara on that stage. She still garners Millions of views from recent music videos and live performances because that is what she is most famous for and thats what people want. We want originality and something different than girls running in fields and singing to the camera in Music Videos and performances. Ciara brings a presence to the stage like no other. And her music is still awesome! (See: “Heavy Rotation” “Turn It Up” “Blauw” “Get It Girl” “Yeah I Know”) Ciara has obviously been cooking up somethings in and out of the studio. When she comes back with a label who actually cares about her and follows her direction, you better believe she will be back for that crown, which was once hers.
I CANNOT o_O
all this stuff you mentioned and she still is at the bottom smh
Actually, Ciara’s career was on the up and up when she released Ride this time last year.Hadn’t Jive messed her up so much, things would have been different. Speechless was climbing the urban charts slowly but surely, but Jive let it die down, and so did her hype.Gimme Dat was an Urban hit waiting to happen, but not only had Jive given up on her, they also intentionally stopped the song from being successful
Also, don’t forget that when Ciara came out, r n’b was still hot and mainstream radio stations cared for the genre.Now that her genre has faded (r n’b artists finding success nowhere but on the Urban chart), how is she supposed to not ‘fade’ ? Yet, when she tried to crossover to stay relevant and showed evolution, she received a backlush.
WITH THE RIGHT MATERIAL, SHE WILL BE BACK
They’re so right…sadly…
I hope Ciara gets her stuff together.
You could never count this girl out. She is an amazin perfomer and take it from a bey stan we know talent unlike rihanna navy who thinks wlking on a stage from one side to other sounding like a drunk reggae ho is talent lol anyway this bout ci she needs a team like bey and ri. The girl is way to talented to fade. Her last album sounded very 2005. She needs to find herself . She hasn had a ww hit since LSM but she still touring the world just shows ppl are willing to see her. Ci go pop what’s wrong with it ? Some of your fans are fake
She will be back (terminator voice) and she will slay more than stages . Snatch more than wigs. She will tap dance on your favs weaves! I’ve been gone gone gone gone gone for to long I think its time ci Really takes it back. And to those say she will never it just shows what kinda people you are and with attitude you never gonna succeed in life #FACT
I like the “bored” girl lol. She’s made some points and she’s a lil cute hahahaha.
Ciara needs to be “present”, make great records like Rihanna and she figured out the vocals for live performances this go round.
That was harsh……………
Wow…yeah it turned into a bash Ciara segment. I dont know. Some things were true…some things were just down right rude. Why was Beyonce’ thrown in the mix? I mean I know she’s a legend but it will just open te flood gates for ppl to hate on her in the comment section…
Anywho “4” out in stores near you in 7 DAYS!
Please go support good music!
Personally i think ciara’s career never dipped, the only thing that f***** her up was her label they did NOT promote her s*** right .. they didnt… cuz when Ride came out the whole world was bumping that s***
I have to agree with everyone’s points that were given, except the Asian chick. Ciara has been fading a bit in the music scene because like the people in the video said, she’s never presented as memorable. That is not entirely Ciara’s fault. JIVE remotely set Ciara up for failure and you can’t forget about that. She even noted on Facebook that even when Gimmie Dat was getting good spins on the radio, JIVE paid the stations to not play it! AND FOR WHAT! Some people may think Ciara doesn’t care for her career and that is not true. Ciara does not have to be just like Rihanna or just like Beyonce. Ciara has a uniqueness to her that no one in the industry has right now. Yes, I wish Ciara would say consistent in her music and try new things because I know she has what it takes, but Ciara is who she is because she stays humble, sweat, and real. The fact of the matter is, people expect too much from Ciara. Yes, Ciara should experiment with her sound, prove she has what it takes vocally, but I would rather have a Ciara who is real and appreciates everything her fans do for her, than someone who lets people run over her and control her career. However, I do think the points in the video were valid and I love Ciara to every inch of my body.
That Asian b**** was pressed as f*** but I agree some of the comments. Ciara needs to find the inspiration to do things differently. The fact that these dykes and nobodies are still talking about here is proof people don’t wanna see her fade.
that one girl with the messed up weave lol
Child…so I’m sitting here sipping sweet vanilla infused green tea while these people are spilling true tea lol what a coincidence. Loves it!
This is my thing. Everybody is entitled to their own opinion but some people take it to far and they try to get personal and be disrespectful. People need to learn that you can give a negative opinion in a respectful way. You don’t have to say i don’t like her or i hate her just say im not a fan.The way people treat C is bold because she is super nice and down to earth.Me myself i wasn’t Ciara’s biggest fan until i met her and she was so nice its kinda hard to believe that people would say such mean things about her.I find it funny that the people that talk s*** on these blogs and other social networks have seen Ciara in person walking around in LA, NY or ATL and they don’t say s*** to her face.And why would ThatGrapeJuice even make this video about Ciara in the first place when she is at her low point. F*** I swear.
how nasty to have this video. all im gonna say.
This was f****** BIASED, most if them were opinionated except that asian girl. They knew WTF they were doing editing her cooki monster looking ass in there tho. @Imgunnacheckuboo and @Kahari STFU. I bet you have ALL of her albums, especially the ones that didn’t do well.
thats just hate! i mean…wow!
This was pretty good! That black guy and girl told the truth and thats how most of the public feels. The Light skinned girl to! Ciara is a great entertainer vocally she has never really shown thw world her true potential she has always stayed in a box her comfort zone. She will never improve as a vocalist if she does that! Everything else she has on lock.
I also agree that with this generation if your not constantly putting out something you will fade into the background. Look what it tooke for Chris Brown to make it back into the light. It takes months for Ciara to put out new single and years for albums. The hype that does build dies down before she makes her next move!
That asian chick was just…..Please never ask her anything again makes asians look bad!
ciara is just boring….beyonce has her voice and dancin….gaga has her crazyness….rihanna is a bit of both now, and janet jacksin is still alive no one wants another…..ciara is just doing what janet was doing with much much worse music
if ciara was a artist @Taylor Payne
she would not be doin the same sounding music and dances moves since 2005……..rihanna is a artist caue the changes her everthing more than any other artist out from style.sound.topics…just everything is all changing and differnt……gggb.rated r.& loud are all very different……….even beyonce changes her song even if she be talkin bout the same things…….ciara is just boring and dull……with those dancing songs
Let me say there were some points that were vaild and the rest downright bias and shade. Honestly coming from a fan myself Ciara is proved no wrong in 8 years. She has develop and growed artistically as an artist and entertainer. She needs a new team that will put her back on top. Ppl act as if her career is over and she will never be back on top. Ppl assume she’s fading away which it isn’t the case. The issue she was dealing with her label for the past three years clearly states they refused to financially support her in the last two albums. If they would have continued to support her Fantasy Ride and Basic Instinct would have should like hotcakes. The success with Goodies and The Evolutional was phenomenal because those two albums put her on the map to begin with. Every artist has their issues involving their music career. That’s just how it is. It’s not neccesarily the artist fault. When you have a label that doesn’t support and give you what you need in order to sell to the public you’re own your own. Ciara had to adapt and try to promote her last CD so it could sell and ppl would be interested in buying it. Plus spending the money on her singles because JIVE was sabotaging her career and therefore you have it people Baisc Instinct did poorly in low sales. Ciara is the epitome of and artist, icon, superstar, entertainer. She has that gifted star quality that most artists today don’t have. She needs a breakthrough and new management that’s all. And the public is still interested in her. She’s still booking shows, concerts to keep her name out there. Nows the time for her to breakthrough and come back slaying and just……….. f****** slay. I hate being a fan of someone who deserves all the recognition and yet haters are trying to tear this person down because they have nothing else better to do. But hell what the f*** can a fan do. And the comments those ppl made were reasonable. At the same time though Ciara just needs to have a breakthrough. No worries. She’s be back slaying lessors. 😉
@thatbish, No, no I don’t.
i think she need to step her music game up…she need to make her beats intresting and stop with the simple, predictable beats
The problem with Ciara is that she doesn’t have a solid team behind her. “Basic Instinct” flopped because promotion was very low. I remember seeing her on Ellen, lopez tonight, 106 &park, and monique show (really??). It was a failed project because she just doesn’t hustle. If i saw that my singles weren’t doing well, i would be on every tv show, radio show, blogs, red carpet appearances, etc. I would be everywhere talking about my album. She’s talented, and has the potential to be a huge star. People just don’t care for her anymore. She needs to re-invent herself.
Nice job, TGJ !
But next time , try to get more coming-to-age people (18/23 years old) like you did with the “Beyonce vs Rihanna” video. Their opinion is much more representative of what the target audience wants from popular singers like Ciara.
I hope Ciara watches this though. Good criticism is harsh but needs to be heard.
This was so true but I think that grape dot net is so wrong for doing this to Ciara. This seem mean spirited and not done with love ….. Poor Ciara
ALRIGHT, I think that the blonde girl that talked last was on America’s Next Top Model…I remember that face…I don’t bet money on it, but I think she was on ANTM indeed…
for someone who isnt so called relevant google sure nuff has been keeping tabs on her rofl these people kno nothing they have limited access to the internet.
That was HARSH.COM, but true.
The guy had a good point. she needs to be present ALL THE TIME. Wht happened to her webisodes? She needs to play the game.
You guys hadd to ask about Rihanna too.
Yall so obsessed. Keep pushing these flop videos on yo site too, and stay promoting Rihanna. I see you guys used the LOUD album post on the advertisement for this flopfest.
Anyway, Cedric flopped. He’s done. On the bright side, he won’t have to tuck anymore, and he can just let it all hang out in his homeslum of Atlanta.
Everyone had valid points except that Asian chick. She had absolutely no idea what she was talking about.
Basically, Ciara can put on a good show, and that’s about it. Her voice is not good, her material is generic, and her personality is boring.
lmdao..oh boy!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I think she could come back if she had better management and songs.
I agree with Badd Influence. This was flatout mean…don’t kick her while she’s down! Although there is very valid constructive criticism in the responses, it’s so overshadowed with malice that you forget about the questions asked. Ciara HAS to be somewhat relevant if you’re taking the time to make things like this. Give her a break, she’s clearly going through a few valleys right now…and people are so up and down with their opinions I bet this video would be completely different if u asked them this when she was more current.
From the intro clip alone, you pretty much saw all of what Ciara has to offer. Not once can they show a clip of a stellar vocal performance, or anything actually captivating or awe inspiring. She’s just a girl that can dance. Her time is up. Crunk is over. She tried pop and flopped. Stepped in a time machine to go back to basics and….flopped. People are over the whole dancing bit, and since she has nothing else to offer…well…..
that asian b**** needs to have a seat
asian b**** needs 2 GET SHOT ..PERIOD! …MY CRACK LUKS BETTA DAN HER FACE..SINCE WEN ASIAN PEOPLE WERE IRELEVANT 2 MUSIC ANYWAYS KMT…
CIARA IS WORKING ON HER NEW DEAL AND YOU BEST TO BELIEVE SHE COMING BACK WITH FIRE WITH HER NEW LABEL SHE GOT THE RIGHT ONE BABY AND SHE GOT HER STUFF TOGETHER AND SHE SOLD OVER 8 MILLION ALBUMS CAN YOU SAY THAT KERI!
You guys are silly, Ciara will be back with a vengeance.
Let’s hope so, but it is not likely until she gets some smokin’ records.
Ciara needs better music. We don’t want mediocre songs. We don’t need filler tracks. Ciara needs some HITS. I think producers are just scared to give her the goodies as they would rather save their best songs for the heavy-weights in town.
CIARA IS A HIT AND SHE IS THE BEST DANCER EVER WITH A GREAT PERSONALITY TO GO WITH IT AND THAT’S WHY SHE IS SO BLESSED!
I have to agree with the Black girl with the glasses and the Hispanic looking girl. The dude made some good points too and the Asian girl also made some good points, but I can tell they were a little bit biased because they are not fans. The things I say Ciara needs to do to make a strong comeback are:
1. New label, she should’ve left Jive when LA Reid left because they did not promote/market Fantasy Ride in the correct way. That album could’ve easily sold a good 5-6 million WW and produced more than 1 hit single
2. New image. Since 2004, her image and fashion style has been the same: laid back and at times boring as hell. I am not saying she has to be out there like Gaga and Rihanna, but if she just swtiched her image and style with her next album, that’ll definitely catch more people’s attention
3. Musically, I don’t think Ciara needs improvement, her music is very good IMO. I just think she needs to go in a different direction with her music. I understand she wants to focus on Urban/R&B music but if she wants to be remembered as an icon/legend, she needs to broaden her musical style. Personally Fantasy Ride should’ve been released now instead of Basic Instinct because it had more songs that could’ve crossed over to both Pop and Urban markets: High Price, Pucker Up, I’m On, Echo, When I, TMWYNI, Keep Dancin’ on Me and Turntables
4. Stop being a socialite. I understand she’s really good friends with LaLa and Kim K. but they’re socialites and she’s now getting the reputation of being a socialite.
5. Work on her vocals. Ciara actually can sing, she just has such a soft voice and she’s shy. Janet and Aaliyah both had soft voice and were shy at first, but they never held back vocally. I am not saying Ciara has a huge powerhouse voice like Beyonce, but if Ciara really pushes her vocals, she get more recognition.
6. Improve her performances. Ciara is a great performer, but she needs to start improving her performances. Dancing isn’t gonna get much far CiCi. Janet, Beyonce, Gaga, Madonna and even Rihanna, bring extra factors to their performances: stage props, attention grabbing outfits, pyrotechnics, light/special effects and video interludes.
7. Finally, take control over your career. Stop letting other people make deicsions like: single choices, videos, promo/marketing for you and decide for yourself how those things will be handled. When it was revealed how she wanted the singles for Fantasy Ride and Basic Instinct to be released I bawled uncontrollably for days. For Fantasy Ride she wanted the singles to go in this order: 1. High Price 2. Lover’s Thing 3. Turntables 4. Like a Surgeon 5. I’m On 6. Tell Me What Your Name Is 7. Pucker Up and for Basic Instinct: 1. Gimmie Dat 2. Turn It Up 3. You Can Get It 4. Yeah I Know 5. Heavy Rotation 6. I Run It. As a fan, I just hope with her 5th album, she takes all 7 of my points in consideration because she needs to.
She can make a very strong come back she just needs to wear a blue wig. Walk around the stage sounding like a chhicken with the flu(rihanna) open her legs evry 2 seconds (rihanna sorry but its the truth) walk half naked in the road like gaga jump on the pop dance wagon. Lip sync like many others and act like you the GAY ppl saviour lol and sing bout plastic bags that’s what’s in! No on a serious note She can make a come back Promo and a GOOD label is what she needs and more songs with catchy hooks eg. 1 2 step. Love.s**.magic etc you can say what bout this girl she is super star quality lol
Wow, this was kinda wrong on so many levels, but since you are on Ciara, there is a handful of other artists that should get the same rundown. The problem with Ciara is not that she doesn’t have the voice or can’t make a hit record, it is she simply doesn’t have the right people behind her, and also the industry has changed quite quickly since the success of her first 2 albums. She doesn’t have a multi-octave range, but half of billboard doesn’t either. Now let me get this straight, for the longest people have been so focused on the look, the look, the look, not all of a sudden they want the voice, which one do you want? Cause there are simply not many (popular wise, that is), who have both. Ciara has a very humble spirit and personality, she deserves to stay in this industry, she still has lots of potential. I believe in due time, she will be back on the map.
Ciara by no means can be compared to britney spears kesha or anyother artist, her music is ok…… kesha has much better music than ciara and that is saying something about her artistry and unfortunately being humble or sweet doesn not sell records. point blank