Casandra Elizabeth Ventura is an American singer, dancer, actress, and model. Born in New London, Connecticut, she began her musical career after meeting record producer Ryan Leslie in late 2004, who signed her to his record label, NextSelection Lifestyle Group. Two years later, Ventura released her debut single "Me & U", which was discovered by rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs; Leslie agreed to partner his NextSelection imprint with Combs' Bad Boy Records for the commercial release of her debut album. As the song marked her first entry on the Billboard Hot 100, it soon peaked at number three on the chart by July 2006.
With "Me & U" issued as its lead single, Ventura's self-titled debut studio album was released in August 2006, peaking at number four on the Billboard 200. In 2008, Ventura released the single "Official Girl" (featuring Lil Wayne). The following year, she released the singles "Must Be Love" (featuring Diddy) and "Let's Get Crazy" (featuring Akon); she signed with Interscope Records to release her debut mixtape RockaByeBaby (2013), which was promoted by the music videos for its singles "Numb" (featuring Rick Ross) and "Paradise" (featuring Wiz Khalifa).
Ventura signed to modeling agency Wilhelmina Models early in her career, and later One Management. She has modeled for Calvin Klein and has been featured in magazines including GQ, Seventeen, and Bust, also becoming the public face of ASOS's 2013 spring collection. Ventura has starred in advertising for Delia's, Adidas, Abercrombie & Fitch, and Clean & Clear. Additionally, she has appeared in films such as Step Up 2: The Streets (2008) and The Perfect Match (2016).
