Early Life # Early Life Born on October 25, 1985, in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, Ciara is the daughter of Jackie Harris, who served in the U.S. Air Force, and Carlton Harris, a military veteran. Growing up, her idols included Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Janet Jackson, Sade, and Michael Jordan. During her childhood travels around the world, Ciara crossed paths with music producer Jazze Pha in Atlanta. With his guidance, she signed with LaFace Records and rose to fame as a prominent artist, selling over 7 million records globally and producing multiple Top 10 hits. Career At age 17, Ciara briefly joined the girl group Hearsay, which disbanded shortly after. Before achieving stardom, she wrote songs for Fantasia. In 2002, she was signed to LaFace Records by L.A. Reid, with her debut album fully produced by Jazze Pha.