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At midnight Friday, Ciara released her brand-new single, “Jump,” featuring Coast Contra, which she’d been teasing all week.
“I’m back on my mission to make the world dance! JUMP is OUT NOW,” Ciara captioned an Instagram post promoting the single. In addition to the new song, Ciara premiered its music video which featured Winston-Salem State University’s Powerhouse of Red and White Cheerleaders.
WSSU cheerleaders have been a vibe for years.
They can be seen at the beginning of the video, dancing with Ciara in cheer uniforms that say “Jump.”
According to the Winston Salem Journal, Coach Ne’Sheila Washington said one of Ciara’s dancers messaged the team on Instagram and emailed them at the end of April. From there, they were quickly put in touch with Ciara’s choreographer.
They did three practices over Zoom, and then nine cheerleaders and coaches Washington and Tevin Allen were flown out to Los Angeles to film.
How it all came together for Ciara and the WSSU Rams
According to HBCU Gameday, on an early spring morning, nine cheerleaders and their coaches, Washington and Allen arrived at the set in Los Angeles, California. It didn’t look that way at first. “When the sun came up, it looked like we were in New York City,” Washington said. With some Hollywood magic, the set transformed, and the team was whisked away to hair and make-up to prepare for the day.
“They had a different crew member assigned to each cheerleader. Seeing crew members swoop in throughout the day to touch up make-up or provide little water bottles with straws was so cool. It made me feel like a proud mom watching all of this happen,” Washington said.
HBCU’s are where the heart is
Whether Beyonce’s iconic Coachella performance or Deion Sanders injection of life into Jackson State University, HBCU’s are being highlighted in unprecedented ways and catching the world up to a culture that has long existed.
“Jump” is the first release under Ciara’s Beauty Marks Entertainment label in partnership with Uptown Records and Republic Records.
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