Ciara is headed to Harvard Business School after releasing her seventh studio album, Beauty Marks, earlier this month.
The singer released the album under her own label, Beauty Marks Entertainment. But maybe there’s more business acumen to be gained.
Just yesterday, Ciara revealed on Instagram that she was accepted to Harvard’s Business of Entertainment, Media, and Sports (BEMS) program. The admission process for this program is based on professional achievement and business impact.
Earlier, hip hop producer Swizz Beatz also attended Harvard, with both getting in based on their significant cultural and career accomplishments.
Swizz (aka Kasseem Dean) is a smart guy, though his time on the HBS campus may have provoked some deeper business thinking. Just recently, Dean blasted streaming services for not paying artists and rights owners enough, with broader analytical questions being posed.
“Streaming became very important as a database, but is that database translating into real currency like what we were doing in the late 90s, selling 10 million records?” Beatz questioned.
According to Harvard’s description, students of the BEMS program learn how to develop and execute more effective business strategies. The program also focuses on the analysis of business and technology trends with various industries. The BEMS program also teaches its students how to launch and manage creative products and portfolios more strategically.
In her celebratory post on Instagram, Ciara said she always dreamed of attending college, but her music career came first.
“I always dreamt of going to college, but by God’s grace, my music career took me on a path that I’m so thankful for. This week I got accepted into Harvard! Words cannot describe my excitement!”
Ciara’s most recent album, Beauty Marks, has sold 135,000 album equivalent units globally. The album also has 208 million views on YouTube.
Separately, Ciara has also recently teamed up with husband Russell Wilson to launch a production company. Why Not You Productions is a collaboration between Ciara and the NFL star to develop film, TV, and digital content. The production company will focus on heavily on creating inspirational and aspirational narratives, as well as human interest stories.