It may be overcast and unseasonably cool when Ciara and I speak on a recent weekday morning, but she’s in full glam mode—sunglasses and all. That’s with good reason: The superstar is zipping around New York promoting her eighth studio album, CiCi (out today), which marks a true return to form for the undisputed queen of “ghetto pop,” as she playfully calls her dance floor-ready style. Case in point: Ciara’s infectious, Latto-assisted single “This Right Here,” which harkens back to the hits—“Goodies,” “1, 2 Step”—that first made her a star 21 years ago, when she was still a teenager.

Here, the proudly independent artist—and doting mother of four—catches up with Vogue to reflect on her new album, her family with New York Giants quarterback Russell Wilson, and the lasting lessons of her

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