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}} "Promise" is a song performed by American recording artist Ciara from her second studio album, ''Ciara: The Evolution'' (2006). It was written by Ciara, Jasper Cameron, Polow da Don and Elvis Williams and produced by Polow da Don. The remix features singer R. Kelly. The song was released as the album's official lead single on October 16, 2006, through LaFace Records. The song was selected as the first single as Ciara wanted to put out a single with a slower pace, noting that her previous releases had been up-tempo. According to Ciara, the song represents the album's theme of evolving and symbolizes her growth as a songwriter and artist. "Promise" is a mid-tempo R&B ballad with lyrics that describe what the protagonist wants out of love. The song received generally positive reviews from critics, who made comparisons with songs by musician Prince. Critics also observed that it was different and refreshing from Ciara's previous singles. "Promise" topped the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart in the United States and peaked at number 11 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, becoming Ciara's best-performing single sans a featured artist on both charts. It was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipping over one million copies. Diane Martel directed the song's accompanying music video, which features scenes of Ciara singing into a gravity-defying microphone. Ciara stated that it is just about performance as she wanted to make a distinct R&B video. The video received a BET Award nomination for Viewer's Choice in 2007. ==Writing and inspiration== "Promise" was one of the first songs to be recorded for Ciara's sophomore effort, ''Ciara: The Evolution''.〔 The song was conceived as a "feel-good" record; Ciara explained that the goal was to create a song that "truly is a sing-along". She elaborated, "I want you to be able to go back to the old days, and put your hands up and rock from side to side and just feel good."〔 The singer wrote it in collaboration with Jasper Cameron, Elvis Williams and its producer, Jamal "Polow da Don" Jones. The recording session took place at Tree Sound Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, and co-writer Williams provided backing vocals.〔 Ciara and Cameron produced the vocals and Phil Tan later mixed the song at Soapbox Studios in Los Angeles, California. On the album, "Promise" is preceded by the spoken-word interlude "The Evolution of Music", in which Ciara shares that music on the radio inspired her to "do something different this time around".〔〔 In an interview with Corey Moss for MTV News, Ciara stated that "Promise" is about being single as she had ended her one-year relationship with rapper Bow Wow several months prior in April 2006.〔http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,1181212,00.html〕 She named her album ''The Evolution'' as she felt evolved, both as a woman and an artist and stated that the song symbolizes her growth. She said that it was "perfect" as the first single because it makes a statement. "The record was something different from what people were used to hearing me do. So this record does have a more mature sounding, sexier vibe", she said.〔 Ciara declared "Promise" as "different" from her other work, and considered it one of the album's most unique and strongest songs, citing the production as an example of this. Polow da Don told ''Billboard'' that the song is "young but sexy" and noted that "nobody's really heard () do a ballad".〔http://www.billboard.com/news/ciara-sounding-young-but-sexy-on-new-album-1003124175.story〕 In an interview with Mark Edward Nero for About.com, Ciara explained why she selected "Promise" as the album's first official single, noting that it has a different tempo from her previous singles: When I did a recap of all the records I released prior to my first single for this album, I noticed that all of them were up-tempo. ... and I wanted to change it up and still make sure the elements, ... that people know me and my fans know me for were still in there such as the dancing so, ... I wanted to try something different, ... change the pace a little bit and that's what I did with this record. I felt it was perfect for that.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Promise (Ciara song)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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