Cassie Ventura

Cassandra Ventura (born August 26, 1986), known professionally as Cassie, is a American R&B recording artist, model, dancer and actress. After being introduced to music producer Ryan Leslie, she was signed to his music-media company, NextSelection Lifestyle Group. Leslie wrote and produced Cassie's first single, "Me & U", which became a major hit in 2006. He convinced Sean "Diddy" Combs to partner his Bad Boy Records with Leslie's NextSelection imprint for the release of her debut album, Cassie, which was released in August 2006. Her second album, Electro Love, has yet to be released.

Biography

Early Life and Career Beginnings

Cassandra Ventura was born on August 26, 1986 in New London, CT. Her father is of Filipino ancestry, and her mother is black. She attended The Williams School, a preparatory school in New London. She trained as a singer and dancer, and took voice lessons. 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,. When she graduated from high school in 2004, she decided to pursue her career in modeling and singing. After high school, Cassie moved to New York City, and continued modeling, as well as attending classes at the Broadway Dance Center. She is represented by Wilhelmina Models and One Model Management in New York City. 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.

2004–06: Cassie

Mottola offered Cassie a management deal, and Leslie signed her to NextSelection Lifestyle Group, his music-media company he founded with online marketing partner Rasheed Richmond. Leslie wrote and produced Cassie's first single, "Me & U", in 2005. The song became a club hit in Germany. 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.

Ryan Leslie produced most of the album, which is a mix of R&B/hip hop/pop. Ventura said in an interview, "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." She paid tribute to her Filipino culture by incorporating OPM sounds into some of the ballads. The album, Cassie, was released on August 8, 2006 and sold 321,000 copies in the US. Lead single "Me & U" peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100, selling more than 1 million digital downloads. 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".

2007–09: Hiatus, Interscope and Film Debut

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. It was also reported that Cassie was no longer collaborating with Ryan Leslie, who had produced the majority of her debut album. However, the singer later stated that she was open to collaborating with Leslie again. According to Bad Boy A&R Daniel 'Skid' Mitchell, rather than largely relying on the one songwriter-producer, the new album's mix of writers and producers, as well as her own co-write input, makes it a more personal record for her. Additional production on the album came from Seven and LV, as well as Diddy himself. 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. Commenting on the number of producers on the album, Cassie said that she "collaborated with a lot of different producers and a lot of different writers, which was an amazing opportunity for me, because on my first album, one producer Ryan Leslie straight through…which was fun, but it was nice to experience other people."

In July 2006, 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 her new album will demonstrate more "independence"; there will be a "difference in vocals, a little bit more personality. And it's definitely a sensual 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. All three singles failed to chart in the USA. After several delays, it was announced in December 2009 that Cassie had signed a new record deal with Interscope Records. She is featured in a spread in the August/September issue of Bust in which she said a new single will be released in the fall. She has recently told her Twitter followers that she is still in the studio recording for her album. At the time of an October 2010 interview with HitQuarters, A&R Daniel 'Skid' Mitchell said that Cassie had already recorded around fifty songs for the album. Mitchell said that she was taking her time over the album because she is keen for "it to be something that people are going to respect." She also appeared in rapper Wiz Khalifa's Roll Up music video as his love interest.

2011-present: Second Studio Album

Diddy announced that “King of Hearts” will be the first single off Cassie’s sophomore album, due in 2012, and is rumored to be produced by Kanye West as a part of his electronic commitment. In a interview with BET she said the single should be released in October and the album in early 2012. But as of yet only a snippet of King Of Hearts has been heard, and the trailer for the video premiered on 106 & Park on 8th December 2011. In a further interview with BET Cassie revealed that her second studio album was due for release in May 2012. Meanwhile, Interscope Records have launched a new official website for Cassie: http://www.cassiekingofhearts.com.

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