Nashville, TN (September 16, 2024) – Rising pop star and classically trained opera singer Cassandra is proud to announce the release of her latest single, “Carmen.” Blending her signature vocal prowess with modern pop sensibilities, the song delivers a fresh take on the iconic opera character, flipping the narrative on female independence.
Drawing inspiration from Bizet’s legendary opera, Carmen, Cassandra’s song unapologetically embraces themes of empowerment and autonomy. With lyrics like “Sorry I’m so pretty / It was a mistake / I let you lick the frosting / You want the whole cake,” Cassandra redefines what it means for a woman to be desired on her own terms.
“In the opera, Carmen is seen as scandalous for being independent,” Cassandra explains. “My song, ‘Carmen,’ takes some of that power back. After all, it’s really powerful when a woman knows she can WANT a man but never NEEDS one.”
Carmen follows Cassandra’s hit Popera song “Queen of Every Night,” which she performed live on Today in Nashville in March 2024. Cassandra is also a finalist in the Unsigned Only songwriters competition for “Queen of Every Night” and a semi-finalist in the International Songwriting Competition for the same song.
Born in Rockville, MD, Cassandra (Pinataro) began singing as soon as she could speak. She grew up in Duluth, GA before moving to Binghamton, NY for middle school and high school. Her family now resides in Atlanta, GA. “Every city I’ve lived in has taught me something about myself and the world around me,” she explains. “Although it was difficult to move often, I’m grateful for the memories I have made and the lessons I have learned in each place.”
In high school, Cassandra began to dabble with her songwriting skills, composing several pop songs but never releasing them. It wasn’t until the Coronavirus pandemic hit the U.S. in 2020 that she found what she loved most about the creative process of music. She started writing and co-writing pop music and began recording soon after.
As a trained opera singer, Cassandra has a vast vocal range that spans over four octaves. She has a fierce sound, with the ability to seamlessly weave in and out of tricky vocal runs that would trip up most singers. As an artist, her goal is to never treat two songs the same, thus developing a new sound for each one.
Cassandra graduated from the New England Conservatory of Music with a Bachelor’s degree in Classical Voice Performance. In late 2023, she graduated from Berklee College of Music with a Masters in Music Business and a 4.0 GPA. Her 35-page thesis paper revolved around the concept of “Popera” music.
Cassandra was a finalist in the 2023 John Lennon Songwriting Contest. She also performed with Nashville Opera as a soprano ensemble member in Mozart’s “The Magic Flute” and is a lead soprano in Nashville Opera’s Opera on Wheels program. She is currently performing in Carmen with the Nashville Opera and will also join the Steamboat Symphony in Steamboat, Colorado, for a Christmas show in early December, featuring her and baritone Phillip Bullock.
With a combined total almost 500K streams on Spotify, Cassandra uses her talent to spread encouraging messages through her music.
For more information, visit www.cassandraofficialmusic.com and follow Cassandra on Instagram, TikTok and Spotify.
