Holiday cheer was in the air as R&B pop star Ciara dropped by our Seattle flagship recently and proceeded to take a billion ussies with adoring fans.

It was Ci Ci in her current "chill mom" incarnation-not gold grill Ciara, not the rowdy "Wake Up No Make Up" Ciara. Her aura had a certain lightness to it, and Ciara floated through the hourlong public event on brand ambassador duty for Topshop, working a Topshop bodysuit and ,like it was truly NBD.

She talked with us afterward about music. Specifically: the wisdom of her mentor Missy Elliott; which songs Ciara grew up hearing in the house; and the ongoing musical education of her son, Future.

Check the Q&A and see more images below.

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Nordstrom blogs: Many people first heard your music through Missy Elliot. What kind of influence has she had on you?

Missy's a very humble person and that's the greatest lesson I learned from her. That if you're humble you have a greater opportunity for success. She's iconic. And for all the work she's done, still humble. She didn't have to tell me that, I just saw it by example. I do remember her telling me about the sophomore jinx, though. She said, "The first album you don't think about it, but the second one, that's the crucial one." I always remembered that note when I was younger. I'm blessed I got over that hump. But it was true. She always gives me solid advice and things that come from her heart.

What's your favorite Missy song?

I have many, but I really love "Hot Boyz."

Interesting you mention sophomore albums, because that song came from Missy's second album, which was harder-edged and definitely received a raised eyebrow after her smash debut. How have you dealt with a negative reaction to music you really believed in?

Just take it for what it is. No one wants for something not to work. Especially when you're an overachiever, you always want the thing to work. But there are many things that add up to a successful record and its positioning on the charts. Sometimes you have to take a second, reflect, and digest why it didn't work out the way you planned. Maybe it wasn't even a creative thing.

What has been your personal key to success?

I've always been a believer. I've been doing this since I was 14 years old, which was the part of my career the world didn't see. That led me to put out my first album and now, six albums later, I retain my vision. You have to believe in your vision to get there. Having friends like Missy who have been successful and again, so humble and honest, has been great to have along the way. They've been there to help me prevent a lot of mistakes I could have made.

Which professional pitfalls have you avoided with that wisdom?

It's more on a personal level. Our industry, entertainment, is aggressive and hard. I've learned you have to cherish your personal relationships and nurture them. You hope to keep those who love you by your side and love them the same, because you never know when you're going to need them. Without my friends I would be lost. They help me know who I am, and there's no greater strength. I think the biggest pitfall in this industry is to lose sight of who you are.

Your song "I'm Out" has a huge emotional resonance with my personal circle-

Oh, I love that!

-and I wonder which other songs fans single out to you as really mattering to them?

Yeah, several. " I Bet" was one of those songs for me, for my girls and also my guys, for breaking up in a relationship. So many women have told me that song brought them to tears. And also my song " I Got You," which a lot of moms have talked to me about identifying with. Those are two songs off my new album. And " Goodies " off my first album. A lot of young girls were really inspired by that, and told me the song had a lot to do with them loving themselves and feeling confident.

Do you find that young fans now still know your older material like "Goodies"?

Yes. With the digital world we live in, kids have more access to learn more about me, and history isn't as distant as it was. Everyone has access to my discography.

Kids are almost era-less right now.

Yeah but that's cool, in a way. I think of it like, my parents had me listening to a lot of old music growing up, and I'm sort of an old soul, and I like that about myself. Kids study more than what's happening in music right when they're coming up. It's cool to know history. At least a decade prior.

Ciara was pretty into this red Topshop maxi dress What kinds of music did your parents play for you growing up?

My parents played a wide range of music, from Tupac to Kriss Kross-this is my dad doing this part, the hip-hop part-but also there was R. Kelly, Marvin Gaye, Lisa Stansfield. I was a military baby so I lived in Germany, Monterrey, and heard music from all over the world. That helped me melodically as a writer.

What kind of music do you have in the house now for baby Future?

I play a lot of old-school songs for him. It's the equivalent of me listening to Sammy Davis, Jr., or maybe listening to Frank Sinatra. I do that for him. He listens to Luther Vandross, Al Green. Older artists that I love as well. He's getting some history and knowledge right now. I'll be honest, I don't play a lot of new-school music. But I haven't been focusing on a certain genre for him, I've been going with the flow. But he reacts really strongly to music, which is cool to see.