This beat is: automatic, supersonic, hypnotic, funky fresh…The minute you hear those words, it feels like the early 2000s all over again.
The classic “1, 2 Step” by Ciara featuring Missy Elliott regularly tugs at the nostalgia heartstrings. Fast forward twenty-plus years, and Ciara has reimagined her hit single by partnering with top leaders in public health and sexual education to amplify HIV prevention and bust myths surrounding the topic.
“I get to use my platform for something greater, which is always my goal. I made that commitment from day one, since I started making music and giving music to the world,” she shares. “I was really excited to be creative. You can see the power of music and media and medicine coming together. I feel very honored that I do have a song like this that can spread its wings and fly further than just a normal song.”
“1, 2 Step” is now “1, 2 PrEP” for the latest Yeztugo ad. PrEP stands for Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis. This highly effective injection or daily medication is offered to people who are HIV-negative to prevent infection before exposure, sex, or injection drug use, and there are both daily and even bi-annual options, such as Yeztugo. ‘Cici’ joined the “Amplifying HIV Prevention Through Pop Culture and Music” panel at South by Southwest in Austin, TX, hosted by Gilead Sciences in March to discuss using her song for an important cause. She touched on the disproportionate impact HIV has on women, Black communities, and other underserved populations.
“If using my platform helps break down barriers and encourages people to talk to their providers about their HIV prevention options, then that’s incredibly powerful,” she says.
Powerful indeed. Studies show that less than 650,000 people used some form of PrEP in 2024, while millions more could benefit from preventative HIV medications. “I’ve always been so precious about ‘1, 2 Step’ in particular. There are some samples you just can’t let them just go anywhere,” she says. “I have to give the Gilead team great props. I’m like, who thought of this idea, taking my song, ‘1, 2 Step’ and go 1, 2 PrEP? This is pretty brilliant! That’s the power of music. It really has the power to influence, to shape culture, to inspire, to encourage, to uplift, and in this case, to also educate and inform. There are so many boxes that we were able to check off by using my song in this form, and I’m really proud of that.”
“I go back to the first time I heard the commercial, the 1,2 PrEP commercial, and how in my mind, I thought where I was when I first heard the song, ‘1,2 Step’ and thinking wow, now you’re watching the commercial, you’re hearing that song, you’re going back in your mind, the nostalgia you feel, and also the connection that you feel to an artist that you’ve known about for a long time. That’s why I think having trusted messengers like Ciara be involved in this conversation helps to break down barriers and helps people to have an open mind to the information that they’re receiving,” Leo Moore, MD, explains. The internal medicine and HIV physician has dedicated decades of his career to making sure factual and supportive information reaches people who look like him.
“This work feels, and has always felt personal for me as a Black man, just recognizing that in our community, there are so many people who are being affected by HIV. Those who are living with HIV and those who are impacted by HIV, so I felt like this was a space that I could make a difference,” he says. “In 2023, half of the new HIV diagnoses in women were in Black women. We also know that less than 2% of Black women are on PrEP, and we know there are many more women, Black women especially, who could benefit from PrEP.”
That’s not an understatement. As mentioned, Black women account for half of all new HIV cases diagnosed among women.
“That was very eye-opening,” Ciara says. “I think it allows a conversation to grow because some people just don’t know.”
There’s a lot more that people don’t know, according to Moore. “A lot of people still think that HIV can be spread through hugs, through kisses, through touch. We definitely need to dispel that myth. I think one of the biggest myths, I will say, is that people think that HIV can’t happen to them, that they cannot be affected by HIV,” he says. “Your sexual health is your responsibility. So regardless of who you’re with, if you’re single, in a relationship, knowing your status is important, also knowing about the different HIV prevention options that are available to you, from condoms to knowing about PrEP,” Moore says.
The devoted MD says music and culture are essential tools for reaching new audiences, eliminating stigma, and igniting honest conversations about HIV prevention.
“When it’s someone you’ve been following for a long time, or you’ve admired or you’ve listened to them, they’re in your ear, they’re in your heart, they’re in your mind, right? So, you are open to the messages they’re sharing, which allows for when you do go and talk to your doctor, at least you’ve already kind of thought about PrEP,” he says. Ciara agrees. “Now more people can know there’s something out here to protect and prevent. There’s something out here that can cover me as I’m on this conquest for love or enjoying myself physically. I think that’s so good. We have to get the conversations going even more. We have to make conversations surrounding our health cool.”
She’s no stranger to the philanthropic space, but this is the first time the singer has migrated into the HIV prevention conversation in a significant way. Because the startling stats reflect a large portion of her fan base, she wants to do more than just make her followers dance now.
“I am excited to turn up the conversation surrounding this moment for HIV and HIV prevention,” says Ciara. “I feel very honored that I can use my platform to get the word out and to help have an impact, and then hopefully we save lives along the way.”