Cassandra Ventura

Born August 26, 1986

Cassandra Ventura known by her stage name Cassie, is a American singer, model, 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.

Sexiness

Modeling used to be Cassie Ventura’s day job, so obviously she has a leg up on many women when it comes to good looks. Her father is from the Philippines and her mother is African American, and Cassie’s rounded features and hazelnut complexion certainly wouldn’t look out of place in the South Pacific. And it doesn’t hurt that she has a slender, toned body -- the kind bikinis were made for.

Being young, vivacious and beautiful obviously gives Cassie Ventura a great deal of sex appeal. Her original low-budget version of the “Me & U” video featured her picking up a guy at a club and taking him back to her place, and it was all shot from the man’s point of view. It was so racey, it had to be replaced by a tamer video involving Cassie dancing instead. That’s not to say that the feisty Cassie is a prude, of course; just take a look at her sexy swimsuit spread in Complex magazine.

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.

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. 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. 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. He said that he would be "with her through her development", and that he has no "question on her ability [to sing]". 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".

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 sophomore album. The singer also collaborated with Ryan Leslie, Swizz Beatz, Bryan-Michael Cox, and Rodney Jerkins. 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. 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.

In July 2009, Cassie announced that the album's title would be Electro Love. The idea was given to her by DJ Cassidy; Casssie 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. 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. Thus far, all singles have failed to succeed commercially.

Cassie Quotes

“If you want to become an artist, you should have a MySpace page.”

"I'm actually pretty shy; I'm a good girl. But... in high school I used to occasionally skip class and go shopping. But never too often, I guess that's not so bad."

"I've loved Mariah Carey since I was young. I loved Aaliyah. But I'm a diehard Janet Jackson fan. A lot of people compare my video for "Me & U" to hers for "Pleasure Principle." That wasn't my intention."

"Well when I was younger, my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. Rod [her brother] and I realized that we really needed each other. We got really close and that bond changed the way we looked at each other."

"Until middle school I had perfectly straight black hair and dark skin, most people thought I was Latina or Hawaiian and just didn't believe that I was Black at all. By middle school going through puberty, my hair changed-it got curly, frizzy and with my little Asian face, I was sad to say, pretty awkward looking."

"I rap, I sing, I do my R&B, I do my slow songs and stuff that the girls will love, I have a down South joint, I have a rock song that I did with my girls this band called Pretty Boys."

"I perceive myself like J.Lo because she's a fashion forward, classy, and could bring it to the 'hood or Fifth Avenue. At the end of the day you need to make it larger than life."

“You want to know why I fucked Diddy, it wasn't the size of his dick!”
- Cassie

Filmography
Soundtrack:

1. The Fifth Commandment (2008) (performer: "Me & U")
2. Step Up 2: The Streets (2008) ("Is it you ?")
3. "So You Think You Can Dance" (1 episode, 2006)
- Top 10 Perform (2006) TV episode (performer: "Me & U")

Actress:

1. Step Up 2: The Streets (2008) .... Sophie
2. Barbarian (2003) (V) .... Harem
... aka Barbarian: The Last Great Warrior King (Australia)

Self:

1. MTV Video Music Awards 2009 (2009) (TV) .... Herself
2. BET Awards 2008 (2008) (TV) (as Cassie) .... Herself - Presenter
3. "Up Close with Carrie Keagan" .... Herself (1 episode, 2008)
- Episode dated 13 February 2008 (2008) TV episode .... Herself
4. MTV Europe Music Awards 2006 (2006) (TV) (as Cassie) .... Herself - Presenter

Archive Footage:

1. "106 & Park Top 10 Live"
- The Best of 106 and Park 2006 Top Ten Live 06 (2006) TV episode .... Herself
2. "Video on Trial"
- Episode #2.10 (2006) TV episode (as Cassie) .... Herself - Accused

Birthday: 8/26/1986
Nickname: Cassie
Birthname: Cassandra Ventura
Hookups: Diddy,
Producer Ryan Leslie (rumored)
Hometown: New London, Connecticut
Assets: Nice Body,
sexy lips
Vices: Can't sing Live
Sign: Virgo
Height: 5'7
Job: Singer, Model, Actress
Ethnicity: Mixed
Country of Origin: United States
Website www.lovecassie.com

TRIVIA

• She has 3 tattoos
• Cassie has brown eyes and black hair.
• She took classes at the Broadway Dance Center.
• Cassie is trilingual, being fluent in English and conversational in Tagalog and Spanish.
• She admitted to being a "diva."
• "Me & U" reached #3 in the United States.
• Cassie found much popularity with the help of the website MySpace where she has a waiting list of thousands of friends
• Missy Elliot picked Cassie to be the face of her Adidas "Respect M.E" clothing line.
• Crowned the "Princess of NextSelection" by the producer behind the brand, Ryan Leslie