A SECOND ALBUM. A SECOND COMPLEX COVER. A SECOND CHANCE AT A FIRST IMPRESSION. TRUST US, YOU’VE NEVER SEEN CASSIE LIKE THIS BEFORE.

By Justin Monroe; Photographs By Gavin Bond; Styling By Anoma Ya Whittaker

What’s your definition of an “official girl”?

Cassie: I hear it going a few different ways. For me, I’ve experienced it where being in public, it’s more about keeping your private life private.

So, are you somebody’s official girl?

Cassie: I might be. [Laughs.] I’m not in a relationship right now, but I’m 22. I’m dating people. I’m not one to be like, “I’m dating that guy and that guy.” I don’t want it to be about who I’m dating. I want people to take my career more seriously.

Fair enough. There are rumors that you’ve dated Ryan Leslie and Diddy. If these rumored flames fought, who would win?

Cassie: I’m not answering that question! [Laughs.]

C’mon! It’s hypothetical!

Cassie: No way. That’s totally up to the public. What do you think?

Diddy stands to lose much more in that fight.

Cassie: I like how you’ve thought about this.

Laughs.] Puffy’s bigger, so it’s a bigger deal if somebody knocks him out. So anyway, if a guy makes a girl his official girl, can he have other, less official girls on the side?

Cassie: No.

No?

Cassie: No. Never.

Is that for you or generally speaking?

Cassie: I don’t think that’s right, but guys will be guys, right? [Laughs.]

Yes, we will. How was your experience acting in Step Up 2: The Streets?

Cassie: I don’t think I took enough classes. Reacting to five other people is completely different than being with an acting coach, which can become comfortable. I’m a horrible driver, and my first day on set I had to drive a car and act at the same time. I was thinking about too many things at once. I had to hit the gas and hit the brakes, and I almost ran over the girl that I was talking to. It was just a mess.

Have you seen any of the debates about your ethnicity online? It’s just like Dave Chappelle’s “Racial Draft” sketch.

Cassie: What’s funny about it is, when I was growing up, I wasn’t confused. I knew exactly what I was. My dad’s Filipino, my mom is Mexican, West Indian, and black—I’m a little melting pot. In school, you were either black or white. Being Asian really wasn’t anything until I got to high school and was modeling all the time, and it was important because it intrigued people. Black people definitely didn’t claim me before. They were like, “Light skin over there, she’s just not for us.” [Laughs.] It’s all perception. The other day, I was at the drugstore and this girl in line was like, “She’s next, the white girl.” I’m not white. I’m not even close.

What kind of female body do you like?

Cassie: I prefer voluptuous over pin-thin, even though people accuse me of having the body of a 12-year-old boy. When I don’t work out, I get really skinny. I started working out with my trainer, and I was like, “I need a booty.” I did three sessions with him and people started noticing the difference, and I couldn’t fit into my jeans anymore. I had to wear spandex.

Speaking of body modification, do you enjoy the pain of getting your tattoos?

Cassie: The pain of this one, I did enjoy [brushes back her hair to reveal “Amour” behind her right ear]. It didn’t really hurt for some reason, and it healed in two days. But I’m really tolerant of pain; there’s something about it I enjoy.

Was it super-painful when you got your nipples pierced?

Cassie: I don’t have any nipple piercings!

Um, yes you do.

Cassie: Can you really see them? [Laughs.] It’s not like I was trying to hide them. I wear T-shirts, so you’re going to see them. I think it’s sexy. I’m proud of them. I wasn’t expecting that [question]! No, it’s not too painful. It stings when it happens. It’s a really strange feeling.

When did you get them?

Cassie: It was kind of for a reason: my mother is a two-time breast cancer survivor. They have gene-testing for that cancer gene, so I got tested. I got my piercings before I got my results, like positive energy. I’m sitting there with my parents, my mom’s sobbing after she finds out that I don’t have the gene, and I’m like, “Guess what, Mom and Dad, I got my nipples pierced!”

[Laughs.] What did they say?

Cassie: They just laughed at me. But it was nerve-racking because I was like, “My mom’s going to kill me if I have this gene and I got these things.”

What do you think about piercings for sexual purposes? Pro? Anti?

Cassie: I’m not against them. Oh my God, I hope my Dad doesn’t read this.

Don’t worry, we’ll cancel his subscription.

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