Cassie Camacho

From a small town in the northern United States, Cassie Camacho has followed a life long dream that most wouldn't dare to dream. She has pursued many personal and career goals all from which were built on her immense vocal talent.

Born in a small town in western Michigan, Cassie discovered her musical talent at an extremely young age. At the tender age of 7, she performed publicly for the first time, singing in her elementary school's annual talent show. The moment she walked off stage she knew she wanted to spend her life singing for audiences around the world. It was after that performance when Cassie's passion for music began to flourish. Not long after, she was introduced to the music of her role model and musical inspiration, one of the greatest voices in music history, Celine Dion. She was given Dion's "Let's Talk About Love" album by her grandmother, and began memorizing every lyric and melody on the album. "I remember playing and singing along to that album all day, everyday for weeks," Cassie began, reflecting on her old childhood memory. "I was memorized by Celine. Her voice brought me so much comfort and gave me a sense of security. I was only 7, and every time I'd hear her sing, she brought tears to my eyes. I never understood why I would cry, all I knew was that I wanted to follow in her footsteps and have the same effect on others as she had on me."

In middle school, Cassie began writing poetry, which lead her to write her own songs. With the absence of her father, and the daily hardships brought on by her mother's alcohol addiction, Cassie turned to music, writing, and Celine as her only outlets. With little support and experience, Cassie constantly motivated herself to push forward, overcoming every obstacle life threw at her. She strived to be the best performer she could be, auditioning for every choir solo, talent show, and musical she was presented with. She began taking lessons in ballet, jazz/hip hip, and lyrical dance in 7th grade, which only made her passion and appreciation for performing grow.

At age 15, Cassie moved across the country to live with her father in the small, countryside town of Beasley, TX. She continued dancing, and finished out her high school years in a nearby suburb about 20 minutes from where she lived. Although she discontinued singing in the choir after changing high schools, Cassie began taking private vocal lessons in Houston with the small savings given to her by her father. "I remember my dad filling this empty container with all his coins and spare change. After about two or three years of saving, the container was finally full and he gave it to me to spend on whatever I wanted... so, I paid for four hours of vocal instruction... one hour, each week, for one month." Although she could no longer pay for continuous vocal training, Cassie continued to teach and train herself. "Once the lessons were over, they were too expensive for us to continue, so I would train myself by watching performances and DVD's of Celine. I would pay close attention to her movements, her breath, her presence, her posture, and her facial expressions. Of course, I developed some bad habits and poor technique by using that method; but I used what I had to my advantage, and grew greatly as a singer and performer. It's not ideal, but I was able to learn more than I expected."

After years of self-training, performing, a few lessons, and a lot of drive, Cassie applied and auditioned to Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA. She was accepted to attend in the fall of 2008 as a vocal principal, and is currently in her sophomore year studying Music Business and Vocal Performance. "If I could have it my way, I would study strictly vocal performance and focus all of my attention on becoming a better singer and performer; however, I feel it's necessary to be aware of all the changes that are happening in the music industry today. Studying as a dual major isn't exactly ideal for me, but I know in the long run it will benefit me in my career. Not only will it help me get my foot in the door, but it also will put me one step ahead of the game."

Although Cassie dreamed of making it big before graduating high school, she views Berklee as an amazing opportunity to learn, grow, and master her talent. She was awarded a partial scholarship to attend Berklee by the Fort Bend Optimist Club, and feels honored to be given the opportunity to work with other amazing, talented musicians. She feels blessed to have the chance to take advantage of the many opportunities Berklee has offered her, which she was never given in the past. Cassie sees this as the beginning of her musical journey, and the first step toward her dream and singing career.

Cassie recently released her debut single, "Not Ready for This" on Feb. 2, 2011, which can be downloaded on iTunes, AmazonMP3, and CD Baby.

Cassie is currently in the process of creating and recording her first EP titled "Not Ready for Me". The sc