Wonder Woman

With a fashion collection, rum brand, skincare line, children's book and education-forward foundation, music superstar Ciara proves she can do it all

- Michael Shulman

When Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Ciara teamed up with acclaimed DC Comics artist Bernard Chang to create Super C, her superhero identity that graces the cover of her album Fantasy Ride, her new persona was seen as a particularly fierce form of creative expression. And while creating a musical alter ego is not uncommonthink Sasha Fierce (Beyoncé), Jo Calderone (Lady Gaga) and, perhaps most iconically, Ziggy Stardust (David Bowie) at no time did Ciara intend for people to view her as an actual superhero.

STILL, IT IS a particularly apt description. Her superpower: an indefatigable energy that enables her to take on the roles of mother, wife, entrepreneur, investor, model, actor, television host, philanthropist, brand ambassador, author and fashion designer. You could say the life Ciara shares with her husband, Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson, features so many irons in so many fires, it’s a veritable forge.

“I always try to level up,” Ciara tells me. Her many activities reflect not only this philosophy, but also the synergy she has achieved through Beauty Marks Entertainment, a platform for her multiple pursuits. The company’s motto—“The scars that we get from the obstacles we face in life are actually our beauty marks”—came from a moment of introspection when Ciara concluded that she had come so far not simply because of the high points but also the harder moments in her life. “I mean that literally, down to the actual stretch marks on my skin from giving birth to my babies. Those are beauty marks. Altogether, they represent everything. The challenges, the adversity, it all represents the journey. And when you persevere through that journey, it’s really beautiful.”