Cassie (singer)

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This article is about the singer. For the singer's self-titled album, see Cassie (album). For other uses, see Cassie.
Cassie

Background information
Birth name Cassandra Ventura
Born August 26, 1986 (1986-08-26) (age 21)
New London, Connecticut, United States
Genre(s) R&B, pop, dance-pop
Occupation(s) Singer, model, actress
Years active 2005–present
Label(s) NextSelection, Bad Boy
Associated acts Diddy, Ryan Leslie
Website www.lovecassie.com

Cassandra Ventura (born on August 26, 1986) is an American model, R&B and pop singer, and occasional actress of African American, Filipino and Mexican descent. She is best known for her single "Me & U", which became a hit in 2006.[1] She lives in New London, Connecticut.

Contents

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early life

Cassie was born in New London, Connecticut. She was born to a Filipino father and her mother is of Mexican and African American descent.[2] Cassie graduated from The Williams School, a preparatory school in New London. When she completed high school in 2004, she announced that she would pursue her career in modeling and singing, foregoing college.[1][3]

[edit] Modeling career

At fourteen, Cassie began her career as a model. Represented by Wilhelmina Models, she appeared in print ads for Delia's, Adidas, Abercrombie & Fitch, Seventeen and appeared in a commercial for Clean and Clear, in a swimsuit spread; and was on the prime billboard space in Times Square for the Target Corporation. Cassie is also a spokesmodel for the Sean John women's collection, along with Lauren London; which Diddy said would be released in July 2007.[4] She is also signed to 1 Model Management in New York City.

[edit] Music career

After high school Cassie moved to New York City and continued modelling; as well attending classes at the Broadway Dance Center. Meanwhile, music producer Ryan Leslie spotted her at clubs and parties in late 2004 frequently.

Shortly after a formal introduction to Ryan Leslie, Cassie became the focus of NextSelection. The two wrote a duet called "Kiss Me" and after recording the track, Next Selection made a management move to play the song for music executive Tommy Mottola. Leslie also co-wrote and produced Cassie's first single, "Me & U". Cassie was introduced to Sean "Diddy" Combs by a make-up artist from one of her modeling assignments which helped her to get a shot at a music career.

Before signing with Bad Boy, Cassie's first single, "Me & U", had already hit the airwaves and was a major hit in dance clubs. On its official release, "Me & U" proved to be a hit song.[5] It reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and number four on the Billboard Pop 100. Her follow up single, "Long Way 2 Go" was far less successful, peaking at ninety-seven on the Billboard Hot 100. Cassie's debut album, Cassie, was released on August 8, 2006 and sold 321,000 copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan.[6] In contrast to her album sales, Cassie's hit single, "Me & U", sold over 1 million digital downloads.[7]

In June 2007, MTV News reported that contrary to rumors, Cassie had not been dropped from Bad Boy Records after only releasing two singles from her album, and would be working with producers Kanye West and Pharrell Williams on her second album.[4] In January 2008, Billboard magazine reported that her album is scheduled for release in June 2008,[8] and includes production work from Bryan Michael Cox, Sean C, Eric Hudson, Ryan

Cassie also made an appearance in Jay-Z's music video for "Roc Boys" from his album American Gangster, and provided background vocals.[9]

[edit] Discography

[edit] Albums

Year Information Chart positions Certifications
U.S. R&B UK UWC
2006 Cassie
4
2
33
9
2008 Cassie's second album
—
—
—
—

[edit] Singles

Year Title Chart positions Album
U.S. U.S. Pop U.S. R&B UK IRE AUS FRA NZ CAN
2006 "Me & U" 3 4 1 6 9 12 8 1 1 Cassie
"Long Way 2 Go" 97 86 115 12 14 23 21 17 —
2008 "Is It You" — — — 52 — — — — 85 Step Up 2 Soundtrack
"Official Girl" — — — — — — — — — Cassie's second album

[edit] Featured singles

Year Title Chart positions Album
U.S. U.S. Pop U.S. R&B U.S. Rap UK IRE FRA NZ
2008 "Addiction" (Ryan Leslie featuring Fabolous & Cassie) — — 75 — — — — — Ryan Leslie

[edit] Filmography

[edit] Videography

Cameos

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Farber, Jim. Sounds of Summer, New York Daily News. August 1, 2006. NOW; Bullets & Bombs; page 34.
  2. ^ Diddy And Mario's Leading Lady Cassie | Player Watch | SOHH.com /
  3. ^ Singer of the week - Cassie - at askmen.com
  4. ^ a b Reid, Shaheem and Fernandez, Liz. "Diddy Says Cassie Hasn't Been Dropped — She's Just Busy With Kanye, Pharrell". MTV News. June 21, 2007
  5. ^ Cassie's "Me & U" Tops Out at #1
  6. ^ Concepcion, Mariel. "Cassie Grows Up On Sophomore Album". Billboard. January 11, 2008
  7. ^ http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003786642
  8. ^ TeenHollywood.com - Cassie Ventura: Takin' it 2 the Streets!
  9. ^ Rap-Up.com:// rap-up book in stores now! » Blog Archive » Cassie Does Vocals for Jay-Z’s ‘Roc Boys’
  10. ^ "Diddy: Cassie CD Will Catch People 'Off Guard'", Billboard, April 7, 2008.
  11. ^ "Diddy: Cassie CD Will Catch People 'Off Guard'", Billboard, April 7, 2008.
  12. ^ Step Up 2 the Streets (2008) - Full cast and crew

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Cassie
Albums
Singles
Related Articles
v • d • e
Bad Boy Family
Singers
B5 · Cassie · Cheri Dennis · Danity Kane · Day26 · Donnie Klang · Janelle Monáe · Jordan McCoy · Mario Winans · Nelson
Rappers
Producers
The Hitmen · Sean Combs · Lil Jon · D-Dot · Stevie J · Younglord · Chucky Thompson · Yogi · Mario Winans · LV · Sean C
Discography


Persondata
NAME Ventura, Cassandra
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Cassie
SHORT DESCRIPTION Filipino-Mexican singer
DATE OF BIRTH August 26, 1986
PLACE OF BIRTH New London, Connecticut, United States
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH