.jpg)
*Although pop star Cassie had a huge hit in 2006 with her single "Me and You," critics and fans alike were appalled by her severe vocal challenges during a string of promotional performances on TV.
Her label head, Sean "Diddy" Combs, tells Billboard that Cassie has since stepped up her game and has songs on her sophomore album that will impress the haters.
"That's going to really, really catch people off guard," Diddy says. "There's a huge [cry] out there for a younger Britney Spears, a younger Janet Jackson. Those two great artists have paved the way. She has a single out called 'Official Girl' and Danja produced it, and it is a smash."
.jpg)
Cassie & Diddy
Explaining Cassie's poor performances during the promotion of her self-titled debut album, Diddy says: "I just don't think she was ready. I think that we threw her into the spotlight without the artist development -- that goes on with a lot of new artists. We pulled out, we took our time, we developed her for like, a year-and-a-half. People are just going to see her there and be like, 'Wow, she's really cocooned into a butterfly.'"
Although the track list isn't finalized, Cassie told Billboard earlier this year she'd worked with mentor Ryan Leslie, Seven, Mario Winans, Bryan Michael Cox, Eric Hudson, Sean C and LV on the project.