"Promise" is a R&B song recorded by American singer-songwriter Ciara. Written by Ciara, Jasper Cameron, Jamal Jones, and Elvis Williams, it is the official lead single and second release in the North America from Ciara's second studio album, Ciara: The Evolution (2006). The single was released in North America only and premiered on AOL Music on September 22, 2006.

The mid-tempo ballad chronicles the protagonist searching for the perfect man. She states that she has been single, lonely, and needs someone to love her. Without further ado, she is ready to commit to him and will do anything to spend her life with him.

Pitchfork Media listed the song as the 320th best song of the 2000s.

The release of "Promise" was met with positive reviews. Clover Hope of Billboard Magazine described "Promise" as "a reinvention record (like what "When I Think of You" was to Janet Jackson)" and "also strangely appealing—particularly the changes in melody." Glenn Gamboa of Newsday wrote "she knocks out one potential hit" and called it a "Prince-ly ballad". Matt Cibula of PopMatters wrote "it is slow, it is weird, it is massive" and "it ain't genius, quite, but it’s close enough". Ken Barnes of USA Today wrote that Ciara has a "slight but sweetly tangy voice and budding emotional presence" as she plays a "demure temptress".

Ciara Princess Harris (born October 25, 1985), known mononymously as Ciara, is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, actress and fashion model. Born in Austin, Texas, she traveled around the world during her childhood, only to land in Atlanta, Georgia where she met music producer Jazze Pha. With his help, she signed a record deal with LaFace Records.

In 2004, Ciara released her debut studio album Goodies, which debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200 and included the hit singles "Goodies", "1, 2 Step" and "Oh". The album was certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and earned her four nominations at the 48th Grammy Awards. She released her second studio album Ciara: The Evolution in 2006, which spawned the hit singles "Get Up", "Promise" and "Like a Boy". The album reached number one in the US and was certified platinum. Her third studio album Fantasy Ride, released in May 2009, was considerably less successful than Ciara's first two albums. However, it produced the worldwide top-ten hit "Love Sex Magic" featuring Justin Timberlake, which earned her a Grammy Award nomination for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals. The following year, Ciara released her fourth studio album Basic Instinct, which was met with low sales and continued a downward trend in her commercial success. In 2011, she signed a new record deal with Epic Records.

Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr. (born September 27, 1982), better known by his stage name Lil Wayne, is an American rapper. At the age of nine, Lil Wayne joined Cash Money Records as the youngest member of the label, and half of the duo, The B.G.'z, with B.G.. In 1997, Lil Wayne joined the group Hot Boys, which also included rappers Juvenile, B.G., and Young Turk. Hot Boys debuted with Get It How U Live! that year. Lil Wayne gained most of his success with the group's major selling album Guerrilla Warfare, released in 1999. Also in 1999, Lil Wayne released his Platinum debut album Tha Block Is Hot, selling over one million copies in the U.S.

Although his next two albums Lights Out (2000) and 500 Degreez (2002) were not as successful (only reaching Gold status), Lil Wayne reached higher popularity in 2004 with Tha Carter, which included the single "Go D.J." Wayne also appeared on the Destiny's Child top ten single "Soldier" that year. In 2005, the sequel to Tha Carter, Tha Carter II, was released. In 2006 and 2007, Lil Wayne released several mixtapes and appeared on several popular rap and R&B singles. His most successful album, Tha Carter III, was released in 2008 and sold over 1 million copies in the U.S. its first week of release. It included the number-one single "Lollipop" featuring Static Major. It also includes the singles "A Milli" and "Got Money" featuring T-Pain and won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album.

Tiffany Evans (born August 4, 1992) is an American singer and occasional actress.

Evans was born in New York City, in the Bronx, and is the seventh out of 10 children born to Carol and Lonnie Evans. At one point she and her family had been living in their van for years. Evans got her first break on Live at the Apollo at the age of 9 when Mo'Nique hosted. In February 2003, in her fourth Star Search appearance, Evans won the Grand Champion title in the junior singer division, becoming the only performer in "Star Search" history to receive perfect five scores on all of her appearances. In the competition, Evans competed against fellow singers Lisa Tucker and David Archuleta, both later appearing on American Idol. Evans has starred in an episode of Law and Order SVU, playing actor Blair Underwood's daughter. That same year, she sang for executives at Columbia Records and was offered a recording contract deal at 10-years-old. With her musical career already on the upswing, she landed a small role on CBS's "The District" and appeared in the 2005 film, Diary of a Mad Black Woman.