Ciara is a muse to many folks motivated by her coveted relationship “prayer,” endless smash hits, captivating beauty and statement-making style. But what keeps our forever queen inspired these days, though? Her grandmother. “She’s always been so opulent, and has taught me a lot about self-care,” the Goodies singer tells ESSENCE. Another influence? Her longtime makeup artist Yolanda Frederick Thompson. “She’s been rolling with me for 24 years. She’s now 61 and keeps up with my busy schedule and all the trends. That’s what I want to be like,” Ciara says. And, most recently, her “Hokey Pokey” remix, in partnership with Dove, has lifted her spirits, too.
But this remake isn’t just another catchy song.Think of it as a love letter to your body—stretch marks and all. “I was super excited when Dove reached out to me to be a part of this beautiful campaign,” Ciara says. “We’re finding a really unique way to tie the song into our skin ambitions as women.” Some may be surprised to learn that her body image and self-love journey hasn’t always been easy.
“I’ve had to find my confidence when it came to things I was uncomfortable with—whether it was stretch marks or dark marks,” Ciara shares. That said, the spin that has been put on the song is equal parts lighthearted and real. “In the song I say, ‘I have a dark spot here, a little stretch mark there, love marks, life marks, ask me if I care,’” she explains. After all, “the words we say are so important—they can speak life into the things you feel have no life or feel you’re struggling with.”
And speaking of importance, her self-care routine keeps her grounded as well. When it comes to a skin care regimen, for example, her top priority is consistency. “When you’re practicing good habits and using good products, it really does work,” she says of the tip she learned through launching her skin care brand, OAM, which she’s in the process of rebranding.
Next on the horizon for the songstress and entrepreneur is her highly anticipated album, Cici, which drops on August 22. “It has been a labor of love making this,” she says. “I can’t believe I’ve been working on this project for almost six years and that I’ve also had two babies in that time.” She adds: “It just reminds me how much I’ve been rolling.”