Cassie Ventura facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Cassie Ventura
Cassie at the premiere of Step Up 2: The Streets, 2008
Born	Casandra Elizabeth Ventura (1986-08-26) August 26, 1986 (age 38) New London, Connecticut, U.S.
Occupation	Singer dancer actress model
Years active	2004–present
Spouse(s)	Alex Fine ​ (m. 2019)​
Partner(s)	Sean Combs (2007–2018)
Children	2
Modeling information
Height	1.69 m (5 ft 7 in)
Eye color	Brown
Agency	Wilhelmina
Musical career
Genres	R&B pop hip hop
Labels	Empire NextSelection Bad Boy Interscope
Associated acts	Fabolous Puff Daddy Ryan Leslie

Casandra Elizabeth Ventura (born August 26, 1986), known as Cassie, is an American singer, dancer, actress, and model. She was born in New London, Connecticut. Cassie started her music journey in late 2004 after meeting producer Ryan Leslie. He signed her to his record label, NextSelection Lifestyle Group.

Later, rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs discovered her. He signed her to a deal with his label, Bad Boy Records. This led to the release of her first song, "Me & U", in 2006. The song became a big hit, reaching number three on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Her first album, Cassie (2006), also did very well. It reached number four on the Billboard 200 chart. From 2008 to 2009, she released more songs like "Official Girl" and "Must Be Love". She later signed with Interscope Records and released her mixtape, RockaByeBaby (2013).

Cassie also has a successful modeling career. She has modeled for big brands like Calvin Klein and appeared in magazines such as GQ and Seventeen. She has also acted in movies like Step Up 2: The Streets (2008) and The Perfect Match (2016).

Early Life and Beginnings

Cassie Ventura was born in 1986 in New London, Connecticut. Her mother has African-American, Mexican, and West Indian roots. Her father is Filipino. She went to the Williams School, a special school that prepares students for college.

When she was 14, Cassie started modeling. By age 16, she was modeling for local stores and fashion catalogs like Delia's. She also appeared in a music video for R&B singer Mario. A producer named Rockwilder encouraged her to take singing lessons and learn modern ballet.

After finishing high school in 2004, Cassie moved to New York City. There, she continued modeling and took dance classes at the Broadway Dance Center. She started getting jobs for print ads and commercials. She was represented by Wilhelmina Models, a well-known modeling agency.

Music Career Highlights

2004–2007: First Album Success

Ryan Leslie first noticed Cassie at clubs and parties in 2004. They wrote a song together called "Kiss Me." After recording it, Leslie played the song for music executive Tommy Mottola. Mottola offered Cassie a management deal. Leslie then signed her to his company, NextSelection Lifestyle Group.

Leslie wrote and produced Cassie's first hit song, "Me & U", in 2005. This song quickly became popular in clubs, especially in Germany. Diddy heard "Me & U" in a club and was very impressed. Leslie convinced Diddy to work together. Diddy's Bad Boy Records partnered with Leslie's NextSelection to release Cassie's first album.

Cassie in 2007

Ryan Leslie produced most of Cassie's first album. It was a mix of R&B, hip hop, and pop music. Cassie said in an interview that the album included rapping, singing, and slow R&B songs. She also added sounds from OPM (Filipino music) into some of her slower songs to honor her Filipino background.

Her first album, titled Cassie, came out on August 8, 2006. It sold over 321,000 copies in the United States. The main song, "Me & U," reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It sold more than 1 million digital copies. To promote her album, Cassie performed on TV shows like Total Request Live.

After her first album, Cassie started working on her second album. MTV News reported in 2007 that she was working with famous producers like Kanye West and Pharrell Williams. She also said she was open to working with Ryan Leslie again. Cassie wanted her new album to be more personal, with more of her own ideas.

2008–2013: Acting and RockaByeBaby Mixtape

In 2008, Cassie made her acting debut in the dance movie Step Up 2: The Streets. She played the character Sophie Donovan. Cassie also sang the main song for the movie's soundtrack, "Is It You." This song was released in November 2007.

Cassie in 2009

In July 2009, Cassie announced that her second album would be called Electro Love. She said this new album would show more "independence" and "personality." Three songs were released from this album: "Official Girl" (with Lil Wayne) in 2008, "Must Be Love" (with Diddy) in 2009, and "Let's Get Crazy" (with Akon) in 2009.

After some delays, Cassie signed a new record deal with Interscope Records in December 2009. She continued to record new music for her album. She also appeared in rapper Wiz Khalifa's "Roll Up" music video as his love interest.

Cassie released a new song called "King of Hearts" on February 14, 2012. She performed it live for the first time on BET's 106 & Park show. Her performance received many positive reviews online. Another song, "Balcony," featuring Young Jeezy, was released in September 2012.

In September 2012, Nicki Minaj released a song called "The Boys" which featured Cassie. A music video for the song was also released.

In July 2012, Cassie told her fans she was working on both her album and a new mixtape called RockaByeBaby. This mixtape was released on April 11, 2013. Dazed & Confused magazine named it the best mixtape of the year. It included songs like "Numb" (with Rick Ross) and "Paradise" (with Wiz Khalifa). In April 2013, Cassie also became the face of the Summer 2013 Forever 21 fashion collection.

2015–2019: New Music and Acting Roles

In March 2015, Cassie's then-boyfriend, Diddy, announced he would help produce songs for her second studio album. In 2016, Cassie returned to acting, playing the main role in the romantic comedy The Perfect Match. This movie was released on March 11, 2016. Later in 2017, she released new songs like "Love a Loser" (with G-Eazy) and "Don't Play It Safe."

In January 2019, Cassie started her own music label called Ventura Music. Throughout the summer of 2019, she released several new songs through her label. These included "Moments," "Excuses," "Hungover," and "Simple Things." She called this series of releases "Free Fridays." These songs were a preview of her upcoming second album.

Personal Life

Cassie Ventura married personal trainer Alex Fine in September 2019. They have two daughters, born in December 2019 and March 2021.

Before her marriage, Cassie was in a long-term relationship with Sean "Diddy" Combs from 2007 to 2018.

Discography

• Cassie (2006)

Filmography

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Cassie (cantante) para niños