Cassie Ventura

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Born August 26, 1986 in New London, CT, pop star and model/actress Cassie Ventura was born to sing and dance. Showing talent from an early age, the youngster was exposed to ballet and is said to have played the flute and piano during her childhood. She also performed in various school acting productions. Cassie and her younger brother were actively encouraged by their father, who plays the trumpet, and mother, a pianist.

By the age of 14, the enterprising Cassie had embarked on a modeling career, posing for such well-known names as Seventeen magazine, Adidas and Abercrombie & Fitch.
In 2004 she took a brave step, moving alone to New York in order to more aggressively pursue modeling and acting, a move she says her arts-oriented parents fully supported.

The recent high school graduate was a hit in New York, where she was signed on to the world-famous Wilhelmina Models, despite a somewhat shorter status than the average modeling representative. She also revisited her longtime dancing interests, taking lessons at the Broadway Dance Center to hone her talents.

Things began to happen quickly for Cassie. She was spotted by Ryan Leslie, founder of NextSelection Lifestyle Group, a Harlem-based media company. Leslie took note of the young model's personality and potential and the pair wrote a duet, "Kiss Me". Cassie was signed on to NextSelection and co-wrote and produced the single "Me and U" in 2005. It was to become her most successful single to date. The single rose to No. 1 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip Hop Boards chart, No. 3 on the Billboard Top 100 and No. 4 on the Billboard Pop 100  in 2006. "Me and U" also held Top 10 positions in the UK, France and New Zealand.

The smash success of the single earned Cassie the attention of Sean (P. Diddy) Combs and Bad Boy Records. Her musical talent was also reviewed by Tommy Mottola, whose discoveries include Jennifer Lopez and Mariah Carey.

Cassie's follow-up single, "Long Way 2 Go," did not achieve the success of "Me and U", with sales of only 300,000 copies in the United States. However, Cassie is said to be working on a new album under Bad Boy Records with the cooperation of producers Kanye West and Pharrell Williams.

Cassie keeps her hands full, continuing her modeling career while pursing her musical interests. She is currently a co-spokesmodel with Lauren London for Combs' Sean John women's collection. She has also made movie and music video appearances. Coined "a Cinderella story" and "the princess of NextSelection," Cassie maintains a strong fan base, with admirers looking forward to whatever this young talent may come up with next.

Despite success, the young star maintains an attitude of gratitude. "Everything has been beyond my wildest expectations," she is quoted as having said. "I feel very lucky." Hearkening to her parent's early encouragement, she commented, "My parents' philosophy is do what makes you happy, pursue what you love."




Quotes

"The world would be a much better place if we all got along. We all have something in common. We're all just people."

"If It could happen to me…this is how I honestly feel, if it could happen to me it could happen to anybody. I'm just another girl at the end of the day."

"Its seriously like spiraling out of control because I'm trying to catch up with it. I can't really believe it and I don't think a lot of people on the Internet can believe it either. That's a question that I get asked a lot. "What's going on?" "Can you even believe what's
happening?"

 I was just rehearsing in the studio, they filmed me and the record label thought it would be great for the video. I'd love to emulate Janet's career -- totally. She's incredible, from her moves to her voice.

"But I walked out on stage and I performed a song that nobody knew but I performed the hell out of it I nearly killed myself. And then "Me & U" came on and everybody was singing with me and that was the weirdest feeling 18,000 people singing your song with you. It was crazy."

"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."

"The down side is that when people meet me they think they really know me. It’s good, but it’s kind of scary at times. I was in rehearsal before I shot the video, and some guy walked in my rehearsal and was like, “Hi Cassie!” I’m like, “Yeah. Hi?” Then he’s like, “Oh, we’re friends on MySpace, so…” It’s kind of weird in public when I see people and they’re like, “Heyyy” and I’m like “I’m sorry!” I don’t know every one of my friends on my page. I wish I did, but I can’t. "

"Not for me. I was always so proud. I thought it was cool because I didn't know anyone like me. But when I was younger I definitely looked awkward. When I was growing up my hair started getting really frizzy -- it looked crazy. Luckily, it's not so bad now."

Visit Her Fan Sites:
Cassie Vault
Cassie Ventura
Just-Cassie
Cassie Fan




Early life

Cassie was born in New London, Connecticut to a Filipino father and a mother of Mexican and Afro-West Indian descent. While attending The Williams School, a preparatory school on the Connecticut College campus in New London, Ventura began her career as a model at the age of fourteen, appearing in ads for Delia's, Adidas, Abercrombie & Fitch, and Seventeen. When she completed high school in 2004, she announced that she was going to pursue her career in modeling and music, foregoing college

Music career

In New York, Cassie was modeling for Abercrombie & Fitch Wilhelmina Models, and taking classes at the Broadway Dance Center. Producer Ryan Leslie began spotting her at club parties in late 2004, later saying he was charmed by her personality. Through Cassie's hard work and dedication, she was introduced to Sean "Diddy" Combs' make-up artist for one of her modeling assignments.

Shortly after a formal introduction to music producer Ryan Leslie, Cassie became the focus of Next Selection. The two wrote a duet called "Kiss Me". And after recording, Next Selection made a management move and played the track for Tommy Mottola. Cassie inked a deal with Leslie's NextSelection label in the early 21st Century. Leslie also co-wrote and produced Ventura's first single, "Me & U", in 2005. By March 2006, Cassie had found the interests of Entertainment Specialist Diddy and Bad Boy Records.

On its release, "Me & U" proved to be a massive hit, particularly in the U.S. It reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100, number four on the Billboard Pop 100, and number one on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. 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 319,000 copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan.

In June 2007, MTV News reported that contrary to rumors, Cassie had not been dropped from Bad Boy Records, and would be working with producers Kanye West and Pharrell Williams on her second album. In January 2008, Billboard magazine reported that the album is scheduled for release on May 20, 2008, and includes production work from Bryan Michael Cox, Sean C, Eric Hudson, Ryan Leslie, LV, Seven and Mario Winans. Cassie was quoted as saying that she had "[grown] up a lot" since her first album, and that "you can hear my vocals better this time around. There's real emotion and a much realer connection with my fans." She also said the album's first single would be "a club record" and "fun and danceable"—possible choices include "My House", "Push It" and "Thirsty".

Other work

Cassie and Lauren London are spokesmodels for the Sean John women's collection, which Diddy said would be released in July 2007.

She made an appearance in the Kanye West music video "Stronger". She also appeared in the film Step Up 2 the Streets, and recorded a song for its soundtrack called "Is It You".

Discography

Albums

Cassie

• Released: August 8, 2006
• Chart positions: #4 U.S. Billboard 200, #2 U.S. R&B/Hip-Hop
• U.S. sales: 319,000

Second studio album

• Scheduled release: May 20, 2008
• Chart positions: N/A
• U.S. sales: N/A

Nominations and awards

• NRJ Music Awards 2007 in "Révélation Internationale" (International Best New Artist)

Filmography

• Step Up 2 the Streets (2008) – Sophie Donovan

Videography

• "Here I Go Again" by Mario (2005)
• "Stronger" by Kanye West (2007)
• "Roc Boys (And the Winner Is...)" by Jay-Z (2007)