In a incredibly rare moment of candidness, Jive Records recording artist Ciara took to Facebook three hours ago to address the longstanding rumor that the singer had been dropped from her label.
Rumors began to swirl following the complete commercial failure of her last album, Basic Instinct, which debuted at #44 on the Billboard 200 with under 40,000 copies sold in its first week of release in December.
From her Facebook:
To my fans:
This week the net has been a buzz of the rumor that I have been dropped from my label. At this point that rumor is false.. It is true that I have asked and I pray that my label will release me. I have had some great times and success with my label, but sometimes like all great things, it’s at that point where I feel we don’t share the same views on who I am as an artist. The past two albums have been very frustrating for me. At times there were songs I chose to lead a project and I was ignored! This project, I even tried to get “Gimmie Dat” started I spent tens of thousands of my own money only to hear the radio PDs tell me my label didn’t want the song played. I even spent more than one hundred thousand dollars out of my pocket on the video to bring my vision to it and still no label support. I do understand that some labels are not financially supporting their artists and I have become one of them. You, my fans, know that I strive to do my best to deliver to my you the best songs and creative vision I possibly can. I’m dedicated to my music, performance and to my fans! I’ve tried to be a team player with the label only to have compromised what I truly believed and was not given the right opportunity to promote and inform my fans of the release of this album. I have so much of me as an artist I still want to give to the world and my fans. A release would allow me to go be creative with people who care and understand me as an artist. In a short time, I will be able to bring to you a new music energy and a visual excitement! Thank you so much for standing by me through the good, bad, and the confusion. I love you all.
Love Ciara
The struggle to find a happy medium between the label and the artist’s intent is nothing new in the industry–especially as labels continue to abuse their power in controlling the creative process. Want more proof? Look no further than JoJo‘s five year strong struggle with Blackground Records.
Here’s hoping CiCi finds her way elsewhere…and fast.