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Cassie
Cassie at 2007 Tribeca Film Festival.
Background information
Birth name	Casandra Ventura
Born	August 26, 1986 (1986-08-26) (age 23) New London, Connecticut, United State
Genres	Pop, R&B, Soul
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, dancer, model, actress
Years active	2005–present
Labels	NextSelection Lifestyle Group, Bad Boy
Associated acts	Diddy, Ryan Leslie, Lil Wayne, Akon, Kanye West, Danja,
Website	www.lovecassie.com

Casandra Ventura (born August 26, 1986), known by her stage name Cassie, is an American singer, model, dancer, and an occasional actress. Cassie was born in New London, Connecticut, and moved to New York City after graduating high school to continue her music and modeling career. After being introduced to music producer Ryan Leslie, she was signed to his music-media company, NextSelection. Leslie wrote and produced Cassie's first single, "Me & U", which became a major hit in 2006.^[1]

The singer's self-titled debut album, Cassie, was released on August 8, 2006. Two singles were released from the album, "Me & U" and "Long Way 2 Go", which sold 321,000 copies in the U.S. Before the album's release Leslie convinced Sean "Diddy" Combs to partner his Bad Boy Records with Leslie's NextSelection imprint for the release of the album. Following rocky live performances, Diddy said that he would be working with Cassie to develop her music career. Cassie's second studio album, titled Electro Love, is scheduled to be released in 2010. Three singles have been released, "Official Girl" featuring Lil Wayne, "Must Be Love", featuring Diddy, and "Lets Get Crazy" featuring Akon.

Early life

Casandra Ventura was born in New London, Connecticut, to a Filipino father and Mexican/African American mother. She attended The Williams School, a preparatory school in New London, Connecticut. She trained as a singer and dancer, and took voice lessons. When she graduated from high school in 2004, she decided to pursue her career in modeling and singing, forgoing college.^[2]

Music career

2006–2007: Cassie

After high school, Cassie moved to New York City, and continued modeling, as well attending classes at the Broadway Dance Center. Meanwhile, music producer Ryan Leslie spotted her at clubs and parties in late 2004 frequently. The two wrote a duet called "Kiss Me", and after recording the track, Leslie played the song for music executive Tommy Mottola. Mottola offered Cassie a management deal, and Leslie signed her to his music-media company, NextSelection. Leslie wrote and produced Cassie's first single, "Me & U", in 2005. The song became a club hit in Germany, where Cassie later traveled on a promotional tour.^[2]

During this time, Diddy heard "Me & U" in a club, and Leslie convinced him to partner his Bad Boy Records with Leslie's NextSelection imprint for the release of Cassie's debut album.^[2] The album, Cassie, was released on August 8, 2006 and sold 321,000 copies in the US. Lead single "Me & U" peaked at number one on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, and number three on the Billboard Hot 100, seeling more than 1 million digital downloads.^[3] Her follow up single, "Long Way 2 Go", was less successful, peaking at 97 on the Billboard Hot 100.^{[citation needed]} To promote her album, Cassie performed on Total Request Live and 106 & Park: BET's Top 10 Live. Her performances were described as "rocky" and "less-than-stellar", but Diddy said that it was due to her inexperience.^[4] He said that he would be "with her through her development", and that he has no "question on her ability [to sing]".^[4] Cassie addressed the events on her MySpace page, saying that she is aware that her performances were "pretty bad", and that she was "still getting over stage fright".^[4]

2008–present: Electro Love

Cassie at the premiere of Step Up 2: The Streets in 2008.

MTV News reported in June 2007 that contrary to rumors, Cassie had not been dropped from Bad Boy Records after releasing two singles from her self-titled debut album. Diddy said that she was in the studio working with producers Kanye West and Pharrell Williams on her second album.^[5] The singer also collaborated with Ryan Leslie, Swizz Beatz, CT, Bryan-Michael Cox, and Rodney Jerkins.^[6] Throughout 2008, enough songs from Cassie's studio sessions were leaked to make up a whole album. Two songs were also officially released in that year, "Official Girl", the album's first single, and "Is It You", a single from the soundtrack, Step Up 2: The Streets.^[7] By 2009, at least 20 tracks had leaked. It was also reported that Cassie was no longer collaborating with Ryan Leslie, who had produced the majority of her debut album.^[8]

On July 22, 2009, Cassie announced that the album's title would be Electro Love. The idea was given to her by DJ Cassidy; Cassie explained by saying that "it's basically the sound of the album. It's not supposed to be taken so literal. 'Electro' could be like house and techno, but that's not what it is, but it's definitely a dance album. I just wanted it to be a reflection of that and the vibe of the music. It has that love song feel to it, but accompanied by that specific beat." Cassie said that she had also collaborated with Akon, The Neptunes, Danja, Eric Hudson, The Surf Club and Rob Holiday, although she was not sure which tracks were going to be included on the album.^[9] Three singles have been released from the album; "Official Girl" featuring Lil Wayne in August 2008, "Must Be Love" featuring Diddy in April 2009, and "Lets Get Crazy" featuring Akon in August 2009. All three singles have failed commercially.^[8]

Other projects

Cassie began modeling at the age of 14, and by the time she was 16, appeared in print ads for Seventeen and the catalog for popular teen line, Delia's,^[2] represented by Wilhelmina Models.^{[citation needed]} Cassie has collaborated with popular female street wear line, Dimepiece Clothing, to promote her album, Electro Love.^[10] Cassie is the model for the Fall/Winter Dimepiece Lookbook, and her "Cassie x Dimepiece" tanks were released in September.

Personal life

In April 2009, Cassie revealed that she had shaved all of the hair on the right side of her head. Cassie responded to questions regarding her decision to shave her head by saying that "Sometimes in life you need a change... Something that displays the 'I don't give a f***' attitude that was always present, but never showcased".^[11] While the haircut received positive attention from several artists—including Estelle, Keri Hilson, Questlove and Lauren London—rapper Fabolous remarked that her hairstyle was "a publicity stunt/internet buzz thing", and looked "like one of the haircuts from Edward Scissorhands." Others have speculated that she wanted a new edgier look, as it worked for other artists.^[12]

In February 2010 the singer's Twitter account was deleted.^[13]

Controversy

In May 2009, an unknown internet user hacked into Cassie's computer and leaked nude photos of her onto the internet. The singer confirmed that the pictures were of her via her Twitter account.^[14]

Musical style

As an artist, Cassie often voiced that she is musically influenced and inspired by a number of performers. These include Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears, Madonna, Stevie Wonder, Nine Inch Nails and Queen of Latin Soul singer La Lupe. She has referred to herself as a "die-hard Jennifer Lopez fan" and has expressed, "I'd love to emulate J. Lo's career—totally ... She's incredible, from her moves to her voice."^[15][16]

Discography

Studio albums

• 2006: Cassie
• 2010: Electro Love

Filmography

• "Step Up 2: The Streets" as Sophie Donovan (2008)

References

External links

• Official website
• Cassie's page
• Cassie at MySpace
• Cassie at MTV
• Cassie at Allmusic
• Cassie at the Internet Movie Database
• The Internet Fashion Database