It truly was Love Sex Magic! Grammy winner Ciara says friendship–first–was the foundation in her relationship with husband Russell Wilson. The couple, who married in July, publicly announced that they were abstaining from sex until marriage—and the singer resolutely stands by their decision.
“I really believe that when you focus on a friendship, you have the opportunity to build a strong foundation for a relationship,” Ciara told Cosmo South Africa in its February 2017 issue. “And once you know you’re really great friends and you’re what we call ‘equally yoked,’ where you share the same values or the same outlook on life, it kind of sets the tone. Knowing that you’ll always have the friendship and that you can always go back to it is very important, and very powerful.”
The “Goodies” singer, 31, says she first expressed these thoughts during a conversation about “intimacy” with the Seattle Seahawks quarterback. “I have to give credit to my husband for sharing those views,” she told the mag. “It’s awesome how it all worked out.”
Prior her romance with Wilson, Ciara was engaged to rapper Future, with whom she shares a son, Future Jr., now 2. The singer’s perspective about love shifted, in part, due to the painful demise of her previous engagement in 2014.
“I think that people can learn from your experiences when they happen in front of the world,” she reflected to the magazine. “You never know what someone else is going through, and you never know how sharing your situation might help them with theirs.”
“We women think with our hearts and with our minds. When we see a guy, we envision what he’s like and whether this could be something special. Guys see us from an exterior point of view—that’s something I [learned] along the way as a woman,” she continued. “It’s important to have a friendship. It’s important to have standards… You shouldn’t feel like you have to give your body away to get someone to like you.”
The singer and Wilson announced in October that they’re currently expecting their first child together. “I’m excited to Finally share one of the Greatest Gifts of All that God could give…” the proud mom shared at the time.
