Ciara Tops The Charts With #1 Debut With Sophomore Album Ciara: The Evolution!!!

Multi-platinum R&B/Pop Sensation Ciara strikes it big with her sophomore album, Ciara: The Evolution (La Face/Zomba Label Group), which lands at #1 on the Billboard 200 today, with sales of 338,447, topping Eminem and Gwen Stefani. Ciara: The Evolution is the follow- up to 2004's Goodies, Ciara's first album, which debuted at #3 with sales of 124,750 in its first week and went on to sell 3 million on the strength of its three megahit singles.

Ciara: The Evolution sprints towards the gold mark on the strength of the first two singles, the get-it-started club banger "Get Up" (originally released as the single for the Step Up soundtrack) and the sensual ballad, "Promise," produced by Polow Da Don. "Promise," which truly showcases Ciara's evolution and represents her first true ballad to rule the charts, is currently at #3 on the urban charts, and rises from #23 to the top 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The steamy Diane Martel-directed video is #1 on popular BET countdown show 106th & Park, the #1 overall video for the whole network, the #2 video at MTV, and in heavy rotation at VH1 Soul, MTV Jams, MTV Hits, Music Choice, and was recently an "Ovenfresh" video on FUSE.

Critics and fans alike have been raving for Ciara's "Evolution." USA Today says the new album "shows her versatility as a singer and songwriter" and labels the album "intelligently designed diversification." Ciara "displays significant growth" (People) and the new album "should one, two-step Ciara even closer to superstardom" (Billboard). Ciara "knocks out one potential hit after the other" (New York Newsday) on a "near-perfect dance album" (Details).

Music from Ciara: The Evolution has been featured in performances on Live! With Regis & Kelly, The Ellen Show, The Late Show with David Letterman, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, MTV's TRL, BET's 106 & Park, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, and a special broadcast of her December 10th concert at the Nokia Theatre through AOL Music Live!

Ciara: The Evolution is the follow-up to 2004's triple-platinum Goodies, which spawned three #1 singles ("Goodies," and "1,2 Step," and "Oh") and earned Ciara four Grammy nominations (including Best New Artist), five ASCAP Awards for Songwriting, three Teen Choice Awards, two BET Awards, two MTV Video Music Awards, Two Lady of Soul Awards, a Vibe award, and the Female Entertainer of the Year Award from the Soul Train Awards. Ciara has also proven to have the magic touch at radio, with Top Ten hits with all the songs she has been featured on - "Like You" (Bow Wow), "So What" (Field Mob), and "Lose Control" (Missy Elliot), which won the two a Grammy.

SOURCE: LaFace Records & Zomba Label Group

CONTACT: Chris Chambers, +1-646-792-2978, Chris@thechambergroup.com, or
Kate Lupson, +1-646-792-2976, kate@thechambergroup.com, both of The Chamber
Group; or Tice Merriweather of Zomba Label Group, +1-212-824-1707,
ticeman.merriweather@sonybmg.com

Web site: http://www.jiverecords.com/