Ciara, Ester Dean Show Black Pride Through Dance in ‘Rooted’ Video

Ciara showed her support for Black Lives Matter in her latest music video for “Rooted,” featuring guest vocals from singer Ester Dean.

The visual features plenty of impressive dance moves — a trademark of a Ciara video, even though the pop star herself, who was pregnant at the time of filming, had to resort to posing instead. Both the song and video for “Rooted” also include many references to the Black Power movement and Black Lives Matter, with T-shirts and signs in tribute to Breonna Taylor and Eric Garner.

“Young girl stay rooted/I done plant my seeds now I’m rooted/Brown skin poppin’, I’m rooted/ATL bred, I’m rooted,” Ciara chants on the chorus, shouting out her hometown of Atlanta.

This is Ciara’s first new single in several months; in November 2019, she released “Melanin,” featuring an all-star list of collaborators including Lupita Nyong’o, City Girls, Lala Anthony and Ester Dean. She also collaborated with IZA and Major Lazer on the song “Evapora.”

In May 2019, the singer released her latest album, Beauty Marks, via her own Beauty Marks Entertainment. “Thinkin Bout You,” the album’s debut single, was written by Ester Dean and produced by Space Primates, with a music video directed by Hannah Lux Davis. Ciara also hosted the 2019 American Music Awards and performed on the Nickelodeon float at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.