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 "Rvlation 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)
Singer Cassie and basketball player Danilo Gallinari attend the launch of Madison Square Garden's new "NYC Sound Tracks" series at Metrazur Restaurant on July 1, 2008 in New York City.
(Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images North America)
Virtual World, Real Profit! 
| ; "Cassie Ventura")
button beside categories below to add/edit content
