- 5 months ago
Director: Symone RidgellDirector of Photography: Céline LayousEditor: Michael SuyedaProducer: Chase LewisAssociate Producer: Lea DonenbergAssistant Camera: Chris McElroyGaffer: Kishan PatelAudio: Paul CornettProduction Assistant: Brock SpitaelsProduction Assistant: Fernando BarajasProduction Coordinator: Tanía JonesProduction Manager: David Alvarez PazLine Producer: Natasha Soto-AlborsAssistant Editor: Andy MorellPost Production Coordinator: Holly FrewSupervising Editor: Kameron KeyPost Production Supervisor: Alexa DeutschGlobal Entertainment Director: Sergio KletnoyDirector, Content Production: Rahel GebreyesSenior Director, Digital Video: Romy van den BroekeSenior Director, Programming: Linda GittlesonVP, Video Programming: Thespena GuatieriFilmed on Location: The Hollywood Roosevelt Florist: The Empty Vase
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PeopleTranscript
00:00Hey Vogue, I'm Ciara and this is My Life and Looks.
00:07First look. Let's see what Lil' Cece looked like.
00:13This is the Video Music Awards in 2004. This was my first time ever attending the VMAs. I was a
00:21baby fresh out of high school. My song, Goodies, was rocking really big at that time. And what I'm
00:27wearing was one of my like staple looks. I love to wear a swimsuit with jeans. Every outfit that I
00:33did, I always had to have a tall boot. I loved tall wrestler style boots. I don't think I had
00:39done a red carpet of this magnitude yet at this point. So I felt like, how do I pose? Like,
00:46what do I do? Oh my gosh, like this is my dream. This is real. This is happening. But whoa, I
00:52definitely know I hadn't mastered the art of posing on a red carpet at this point.
00:57Next look. I bet you want them goodies. This is obviously my first album packaging for the
01:05album, Goodies. Goodies was a very important song for me because the song was originally called
01:10Cookies, just so you know. I was writing this song with Sean Garren. I remember jumping on the sofa
01:15and saying like, who put the hands in the cookie jar? But I remember playing around with the metaphor of
01:19like my love as my goodies or the cookies in the jar. It was my first time saying hello to the world.
01:25And as you can imagine, being this 18 year old little girl dreaming so big, I was so excited and
01:31I felt like I had so much to say. I knew from my head to my toes and my soul that this was a song
01:39that was going to be the one to kick it off for me. Whenever Yolanda, my makeup artist of 24 plus years,
01:45whenever, you know, she puts makeup and color on, I'm always like, what you doing? Like, if I see a lot
01:50of colors, I'm like, what we doing? We wanted to make sure the cover was vibrant. Goodies was such
01:54a vibrant song. I did have on my cross necklace. Obviously, it's art. But there's also, for me,
02:00the representation of just like what the cross is, is important to me because I was a new artist.
02:05Obviously, I wasn't established. I had to prove myself. My label at that time was thinking about
02:10taking this song from me and trying to give it to my label mate at that time, who was Britney Spears,
02:16who I love. I mean, I think her singing, I bet you on them goodies would be really nice. And I would
02:22have been a co-writer on the record. But this was my record. So yeah, just super, super proud of
02:28the journey and what this song means for me. And I will tell you, I would have fought tooth and nails
02:32for this song to be mine. And it would have still been mine. Next look, here we come. Look at that.
02:40Attitude, rock it. Don't stop it. Everybody get on the floor. Jazzy Faye, who produced this record
02:47and who I did this whole project with, surprised me in like the ninth ending, the final hour of making
02:53this project. This track comes on through the speakers and is like, boom, boom. It's going like
02:58that. And then you hear automatic, supersonic hip. And it's Missy's voice. I was like, oh my gosh,
03:04like that's Missy on the speakers on my song. Like I could cry thinking about it. Why do I want to cry
03:10right now? We were jamming out. I mean, we was bussing on the dance floor in this video.
03:14And when you see this photo of me, like I know the energy that it just looks like young CC,
03:19but with so much attitude. I think for any artist, we all got our sauce, the thing that makes us,
03:24that's within us. And then there's a team that you're surrounded by that also pours into you.
03:29So when I think about this video, there was a kid named Vic who used to teach me how to dance
03:33in the skating rink, on the skating rink floor. And I always told Vic, I said, Vic, if I ever make it,
03:37I'm going to put you on. It was cool to have someone from high school or my high school days
03:41with me jamming out in the video. Now, even when this song comes on, I see everyone jamming out with
03:47me and doing that same groove. And they asked me how to do the one, two step dance. There was so much
03:53love in the video. Let's one, two step to the next page. So this is Super Bowl 39 Pepsi smash concert
04:03series. I just remember this being really fun. And I remember going out there and rocking that thing.
04:07The crowd is going crazy. It's funny because I just saw a stylist on set recently, and she was
04:14wearing these boots in white. It's kind of amazing how fashion kind of like comes back. And whatever I
04:19do, I'm always trying to have, you know, touches of things that I'm connected to. And putting on my ATL
04:25hat, that is a little bit of like my armor. You can't take the ATL out of me. And that's the city that
04:30made me. It's just something else that happens when the hat comes on. And then obviously I'm a
04:34military baby. So, you know, I also wear that badge of honor proudly. I always felt comfortable
04:40in the cargoes. And to be honest with you, the cargoes let them make the booty bounce a little
04:44better. Make it bap, bap, bap, bap. It's a little helpful for the booty bounce. The next look.
04:50This is the look from my video O. Wearing a top crop like this was like a new thing for me. I feel like
04:56I always see a little bit more ab definition in this photo. So I was really trying to get better
05:02and get more snitched. It was so much color and so much life happening in this video. To me,
05:09really represented one of the examples of the essence in the heart of Atlanta. I say,
05:14I like to turn my lip up like this and get a little stank with it like this. Like, you know,
05:18this is where they stay from. Throw it up. It was like, I pushed the attitude meter up like a notch in
05:24this visual. And that was with everything. If you look at a lot of my silhouettes from back then,
05:28a lot of my outfits had hoodies on them. I could flex with it and pull it over my eye. The hoodie
05:33placement was everything. You would stop the camera if the hoodie placement wasn't right.
05:37Like, that's how important it was. One of the things that is a must on a Sierra video,
05:42on a CC video, after I shoot, I've got to eat good. I had to have my candy yams. I had to have my mac
05:48and cheese and I had some crab legs at the end of the shoot. All right, next look. Oh my goodness.
05:55These belts are like a thing. But let me just tell you, this might be the first time I tried a wig.
06:02I was on those laces before the laces was a lace, okay? Before it was a thing. This was another
06:07part of like exploration for me, wearing a skirt, believe it or not. Because again, remember,
06:12I was always doing my jeans and doing my cargoes. And so I was trying to be a bit more like,
06:17cute. That's what fashion's about. You know, sometimes you hit, sometimes you miss,
06:21but you got to try. Sometimes the photos back in the day would be like,
06:27it would be like the mouth open a certain way. And so I would sometimes pose and make that face
06:33because I wanted for someone to capture me in that moment. Alrighty, next look. Oh my gosh,
06:39this was so special. I started to wear heels a little bit more. This is one of those nights also
06:43showing some legs. That was new for me. I want to say it was my first video music award. To have
06:49that moment was really big for me. And to do it with Missy was really special. And I believe that
06:55she and I didn't meet my, it was my mistake, right? I think that when you think about the many special
07:00moments we've had together, the iconic and successful moments, like pretty much everything
07:05we've done has been successful. I think we just get each other. You know, I think she understood me as an
07:10artist. I also understood her. I remember shooting the video for Lose Control. We shot it with Dave
07:15Myers, who at that time I really wanted to work with and Dave and Missy basically have created most,
07:21mostly all of her iconic videos together. We were in the desert. It was crazy hot. We had on harness,
07:27the dance up on the wall that I remember that being so painful, looking at my dancers beside me,
07:32like this is worth it. It's going to be great. So when I think about the fashion and Lose Control,
07:35I want to say the dance style we were doing was Lindy Hop or something like that, that Missy,
07:41you know, wanted us to do, which was again, her thinking in the Missy Elliott way. We were dancing in
07:46a style that reflected that. And the fashion also did in that moment with the white pieces on the white
07:53skirts and the white tops. Lindy Hop meets hip hop a little bit, which I think from a fashion perspective,
07:59which is super epic and genius. And again, just Missy being Missy. And it was really cool to be a part of
08:05something so special. All right, here comes the next one. This is my second time going to the
08:10Grammys. This dress was Dolce & Gabbana. I never worn a dress like this really in my life. And I feel
08:17like on nights that are rare, you got to be rare. I like this girl. I like when I look at her,
08:22I can see the slight evolution in me at this time. And I just know me mentally, I was trying to go for
08:27something a little bit more. And so I think I did. All right. Hey, 2009, like a boy music video.
08:35This is such a moment. I remember doing this video. And I remember someone on set telling me,
08:41I need to like, try to be more sexy. And to me, the sexy was me being dressed like a boy.
08:47This song really played with like the idea of the double standards. On the song, I say,
08:50what if I had a thing on the side made you cry? Well, the rules change up or what they still apply.
08:54If I played you like a toy, sometimes I wish I could act like a boy. Like all these things that
09:00I think a lot of us women could relate to. Like, would you like that if I did like that? Because guys can
09:04just flip it. You know, it's like, would you like that? So I worked with Diane Martell in this video,
09:10and she was one of the few women that were dominating in the directing scene. I love that
09:16she understood me. She could understand things from a woman's perspective, but she also knew how
09:20to tap into all other sides. And she knew how to help me speak to the world in the way that I wanted
09:26to visually. And I do feel like that was another part of the beginning of me forming a great relationship
09:32with an incredible director that I will continue to go on and make more amazing magic with. Next one.
09:39I love this look. This is one of my favorite looks that I've done of all time. I opened up the Met Gala
09:45red carpet with Big Frida this night, and I had two big Afro puffs. Cesar did my hair here. We went for it.
09:51We talk about camp. Like, this couldn't be any more camp with the drama of the hair and the makeup alone.
09:56I literally was about to knock every person out on every corner with this hair. It's like, oh my gosh,
10:01I'm so sorry. Oh, I'm so sorry. This was kind of giving Diana Ross Studio 54 unapologetic energy.
10:08And when it came to the hair, I almost want to say I surprised him with the hair because I believe
10:13we look back at our old sketches. We just all really took our time and was like, how do we make this
10:18something? How do we take to the next level? Obviously being a black woman, you know, there's,
10:23we're empowered through our hair. And there was something so empowering about wearing my Afro
10:28puffs this night, wearing it boldly, wearing it confidently. That is the beauty of when you get
10:33to play with hair and have fun. And so this is honestly, hands down, one of my favorite looks I've
10:39done of all time. Hey, this is so funny. This is Halloween 2019. We chose JMV this year. This was such a
10:50big moment in music culture, the visual that they had done at the Louvre. We put Michelle Obama and
10:57Barack Obama in the back of us. I'm not even sure what we were doing there. And I remember us committing
11:02to it. And I had to make sure that we pretty much had the exact list. We can't go do JMV and not do it
11:08right. On Halloween, when you do your costume, you got to commit. Like that is the rule. Next look.
11:14This is another dream come true moment for me. I had always wanted to host the AMAs. Fun fact about
11:19this night is that I learned that I was pregnant. I remember flying home actually to my honey. We
11:26both did the pregnancy test and then we were up at like three o'clock in the morning going,
11:32so, so good. Here I was wearing couture and this was leopard all over and you got to have the drama.
11:38I think drama is such a necessity. You know, when it comes to big nights like this,
11:42I remember being backstage and getting ready to go on moving so fast because every change like
11:47legit was probably under a minute. No lie. Some changes were 30 seconds. We had to clear the
11:53way for me a little bit to move to the halls because this Kate was a bit dramatic, but I loved
11:57how it felt when it flowed behind me. Next one. This was a very important moment for my friend
12:02because I want to say this was his first time revealing his very first collection under his name
12:07Dundas. Our relationship runs really deep. So the first time I went to the Met Gala with the
12:12designer was with Peter and I just remember we got to know each other really well. The night
12:18of the Met Gala my dress ripped and we had to go to the ladies room. We had my security guard Mike
12:23at the time run to the store and get some needle and thread and Peter and I went in the bathroom
12:28and he was under my skirt like trying to sew me up so I can go and sit down and enjoy the rest of the
12:34night and this is really fun being there to support my friend but also really fun because I love this look.
12:40Next page. This designer Kwame is actually a black designer and this is for the Black Music
12:46Collective. I love how this dress is so sleek. There's so much attitude like that's kind of my
12:51combination that I love going to in fashion for carpets. Sleek, sexy attitude. I always want
12:56attitude at the end and I love supporting emerging designers in general but for nights like this when
13:01you're celebrating black culture and music I thought it would be important and great to highlight a black
13:07designer. I remember having to squeeze in my stomach for dear life because the back was out so it was
13:12like the back is a thing but also the front is a thing so I'm like hold it, hold it, hold it, hold it,
13:17hold it, hold it, hold it, hold it, hold it, hold it, hold it, hold it, hold it, hold it, like that's
13:20some time that you do on the carpet. Next look. I was styled by Marnie Cinefonte who I've known for so many
13:28years and has been a part of some of my most special magical fashion moments. This was definitely one of
13:35them and obviously this was my fourth time around the block carrying a baby and I just had this thing
13:42about being a woman that's pregnant in our world that you don't have to become someone different.
13:49I remember the first time I had a baby I'm like how am I gonna like still be me, Cece, the artist and
13:55just be who I am creatively but also embrace this journey that I'm going on as a mom because I don't
14:00feel like the two have to be two different people. You don't have to stop or lose your
14:04yourself in the process of creating new life. It's a beautiful thing so when it comes to fashion
14:10I'm like I want to have fun like I want to dress this belly up. My legs were so tired because I
14:17wanted to wear heels of pretty much every look but it was worth it like I kind of wanted to have the
14:21idea of making this shoot like a runway show you know it's me still Cece the artist in my full element
14:28but I have my beautiful bump. Next. This again is me tapping into my inner tomboy and this is Willie
14:35Shavaria who I'm a big fan of. I think that he really understands tomboy sexy. We stacked the cross
14:42chains shout out to Marnie on that because it just was giving attitude it was giving Willie Shavaria
14:48put me in your fashion show kind of vibes. Let me walk your runway one time kind of vibes. Talk about
14:53androgynous fashion like this was the ultimate androgynous look to me and I'll be honest with
14:58you guys I'm not gonna lie I felt real fly this night. I can't lie. Next look. Let me just say
15:04there's nothing more cooler than going to a CFDA date night with Vera Wang. Always fun I always walk
15:09away feeling inspired by her but this was so much fun I love this look there's kind of that Bridget
15:15Bardot-esque kind of energy Audrey Hepburn kind of energy in the hair. I love that I had on a tank top
15:21with like this somewhat pants skirt tuxedo kind of energy on the bottom and it's funny because I
15:27actually designed the boots that I'm wearing which is really cool. Next look. This look I gotta shout
15:32out Marnie. I love this look when she brought this in. I wanted to make sure that I had my cc energy and
15:39attitude but also sexy it up. It was a very fun night to go to Kim's event and it's a little bit like
15:46I can hop on the stage but this look kind of thing is giving me those kind of vibes of the dramatic
15:50shoes and I'm also obsessed with furry boots. Me in the boots it's a thing like I love drama in the
15:56boots. It just was giving me like chic in the morning ready for the day to talk to America okay
16:05early in the morning but also still being me right still bringing my edge in the morning I always think
16:11that's important. I sometimes struggle between being true to who I what I want to do versus what I think I
16:18have to do for the environment and in this case I felt like this is like my way of how I would do the
16:25morning and I honestly needed a tall shoe because my pants like I wanted it was really particular on
16:31the pants hitting the ground. I need to be able to be fully cc at all times in moments like this
16:37and this look allowed me to do that. This look is one of my favorite looks of
16:46all my Rick Harvey looks. I have to give Dean and Dan from D Squared so much love because I saw this
16:55dress online fresh off the runway and the boys were so kind to fly in with this dress for Vanity Fair
17:02Oscars party. As an artist and I think as a woman sometimes we see looks that we are like
17:08fall in love with it's love at first sight in fashion and when you see that look you're like oh my
17:13gosh if I can get my hands on that I'd be the happiest girl in the world. So the energy I felt
17:19in the the whole night I felt like I was jamming to Le Freak by Chic in my head all night and I felt
17:26good with the rest I felt sexy walking around with him and like there was an extra shimmy there was an extra
17:32shake going on that night. Oh my gosh this is so cool. This is my album CC. My fans know me as Sierra
17:41and my supercore day ones they definitely call me CC. Last year was a big year for me it was the 20th
17:48year since my first album Goodies and this year we can say in album years I'm turning 21 and so
17:55just super super proud of the journey super thankful for the journey thankful for my fans and this
18:01look the look. Black is one of my favorite colors so I'm obviously wearing all black and then there's
18:07this touch of red which red sometimes to me cuts through like a black um I don't know if that makes
18:11any sense to you but that's the artist in my artist mind that's how I see red and on this project it
18:17represents joy for me it represents love and red was just the perfect color to to match the black and in
18:24my packaging I actually wear some grills that says Sierra 8 but I spell it with the the A-Town letter A
18:29sign T-E double entendre you see what I did there because I just be like you know I'll be like smooth
18:35like that or whatever. The 3D plate that's on the cover artwork it also kind of represents my armor
18:41like sometimes I have to just be tough even when I don't feel like it and sometimes just to be honest
18:45I feel like I'm navigating in the the waters of a man's world as a woman and there's just so many
18:52things that I feel and I have felt on the journey and I'll never look back on taking ownership of my
18:58journey I hope people can get inspired to do that as well you know take ownership in all that you can
19:03and all that you are and you will go really far and I'm so proud of this cover and I'm so excited
19:11for the world to have it in their hands and this is pretty awesome it's so sweet all right you guys that
19:17was my life and looks and I just want to say thank you so much to Vogue for taking me down this fashion
19:23memory lane I hope you guys had as much fun as I did hope you guys see that we do really get better
19:28with time love always C-A-R-A-K-A-C-I-C-I
19:53Thank you
19:58Thank you
20:00Thank you
20:02Thank you
20:04Thank you
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