On the eve of her 27th birthday, Ciara was hard at work doing what she loves most—performing. The singer paid a visit to “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” to promote her upcoming album One Woman Army, due this winter. Before she hit the outdoor stage in the heart of Hollywood to perform her singles “Sorry” and “Got Me Good,” she caught up with staging-rapup.kinsta.cloud backstage to discuss her new music, potential collaborations with Nicki Minaj and Missy Elliott, and touring plans.

Following her mini-concert, her fans serenaded her with “Happy Birthday” and she was presented with a cake before jetting off to New York, where she will mark her birthday by premiering the video for “Got Me Good” on the Sony JumboTron in Times Square today.

In celebration of CiCi’s big day, check out our exclusive interview with the birthday girl.

Happy birthday! How are you going to celebrate?
I’m premiering my video for “Got Me Good” in Times Square and that’s a very special moment. I’ve never done anything like that, so it’s gonna be fun to see my video on the big screen with all the fans.

Any other special plans?
Well, I’m gonna have dinner with my friends and after that I think the dinner turns into a party or something like that.

We’ve seen the sneak peek. What else can you tell us about the video for “Got Me Good”?
It’s so exciting! It was so much energy. We actually rocked in the desert and it was like 108 degrees. It was so hot, but I feel like the energy of dance and working with 8 Flavahz and my dancers just kinda kept me really upbeat. I didn’t even recognize how hot it was and I thank God for the umbrella man because he also saved me.

It looks like there’s a lot of dancing.
It’s non-stop dancing. The [sneak peek] that I gave was the only snippet that I could find where there wasn’t dancing ’cause I didn’t want to give it away. We are literally moving from top to bottom and having fun. I feel like that’s very important. The record’s a very fun song and it’s also with a love energy, but fun and light. I just felt it was kinda cool to bring that energy through the dance.

Tell us something about the album that we don’t know.
I can tell you that I’m almost done. Speaking of it, I think there was a date [December 4] that was supposedly put in the universe, but the date was never ever confirmed, not from my mouth, but they can definitely look out for this album this winter.

When you say winter, do you mean this year or next?
I’ll be telling you soon. Stay tuned.

Is it going to be a Christmas gift for your fans?
You know what? I’m giving you guys my video on my birthday, so you never know what could happen around Christmas-time. I love giving gifts.

There were rumors of a possible Nicki Minaj collaboration. Is that true?
On my album, no. The reason why I said no instantly is because I was thinking about the song [‘Super Turnt Up’] that everyone thought was her and it was me. It was me featuring me, however, I’m excited about a new collaboration that has seemed to fall into the pocket of things and I’m not gonna say no. The answer’s not gonna be no. You never know what can happen.

Are you rapping on the record that people thought was Nicki?
The one that they heard and thought was her was earlier in the [recording] process, so I think they assumed it was her and they were making up their rumors. But I love Nicki, I think she’s super fly, and you never know what may be going on. Let’s just say that.

You also worked with Rick Ross. Will he be on the album?
We’re in the process of finalizing the other artists that may be on the record. But I did a record with him and I think it’s just a matter of time once we figure out all the features including him.

You have 2 Chainz on “Sweat.” Any more collaborations?
I love 2 Chainz. He got that crinack [laughs]. Any more collabos? It’s possible. I definitely do have one that I’m super excited about and I literally just did something with them almost a week ago and they’ll be doing something with me, so I’m excited about it.

With them?
Them is not plural. It’s just one.

You and Missy Elliott performed together recently at “Black Girls Rock!” Are you working on anything new?
We talked about a really cool idea, me, her, and L.A. [Reid]. So anything is possible. Her energy is so sweet and special, and I feel like every time we work together it’s always just fun and organic, so that could be possible too.

Production-wise, the album features Rodney Jerkins, Tricky Stewart…
The Underdogs, Jermaine Dupri, Soundz, Ali Tamposi, and Livvi Franc. I also wrote a good bit on this record and co-produced songs like “Sorry” and a song I have called “Super Turnt Up” that I love.

Any touring plans?
Yes, absolutely. As soon as we’re getting ready to launch the record, the tour will be lifting off and we’ll be hitting up every possible block in the universe.

Anything else you want to tell your fans?
I want to tell my fans that I love them. Rap-Up goes super hard for me. I see the love. It doesn’t go unnoticed and thank you guys so much. Let’s have a fun time on this journey together. It’s all about One Woman Army and let’s keep on rockin’ strong.

–D.L.