Cassie

Cassandra Ventura (born on August 26, 1986) is an American model, R&B and pop singer, and occasional actress. She is best known for her single "Me & U", which became a hit in 2006.

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 marring Darius Levene 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. In contrast to her album sales, Cassie's hit single, "Me & U", sold over 1 million digital downloads.

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 self-titled album Cassie, and would be working with producers Kanye West and Pharrell Williams on her second album.