For the debut of Ciara’s Apple Music Hits show Level Up Radio, the singer shared a “crazy story” about how her first song and No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 single “Goodies” was almost taken by Britney Spears.
“When I had this record, I knew that it was a very, very special record. And I worked so hard on this record, and this industry can sometimes bring you incredible challenges,” Ciara recalled. “But unbeknownst to me...it was myself and a lot of the other artists on the Arista roster, we all went to Jive Records because changes were happening at Arista Records. And when we went to Jive, I had this song 'Goodies.' I had to reaudition again, to be picked up and to be made a priority on the label. I did that, had a showcase, rocked it. Okay, boom, check.”
She continued, “Had this record, but not knowing that behind the scenes, there was a conversation about this song being potentially taken from me and given to an artist like Britney Spears, who was on the same roster as me. I learned about the story later, but the crazy thing for me is that if I would've known about it then, I would have fought tooth and nail. It was because it's a record that I actually was a part of creating. I was heavily involved in the writing side of it as well.”
“Goodies” was a career-defining moment for the singer, as the single remained on the Hot 100 for weeks and became platinum-certified by the RIAA. It was co-written by Ciara, Sean Garrett, Lil Jon (who produced the song), LaMarquis Jefferson, Craig Love, and Zachary Wallace. The success of “Goodies” also fulfilled Ciara’s dream of landing a No. 1 single on the chart.
“This was my very first song that I put out into the universe. My first song, and by God's grace, it also was a No. 1 song, and it lasted on the Billboard charts for eight weeks. It was just kind of surreal to see that my dream was coming true,” she said on Level Up Radio. “There's a video out there of me somewhere. I'm graduating from high school a year before that, and they asked me, they said, ‘Ciara, where do you see yourself a year from now?’ And in my super Atlanta country voice, I was like, ‘I see myself having a number one song on a Billboard chart.’”
