clarissa is a multi-talent whose resume includes film, television, dance, modeling, and theatre. now the up-and-coming starlet wishes to have her first loves, music and producing, under her belt.

born september 4th, 1981 in new york city, the 26 year old has dreamt of being a well-known singer since the age of 6. "i'd see michael jackson perform, and i'd get excited just from seeing how the crowd reacts to him. i knew then that music was my life."

breaking into the entertainment field as a professional dancer, she's performed as a child dancer for heavy-hitters such as p. diddy (back when he was called puff daddy), salt-n-pepa, & biv of bbd. she's graced the apollo stage and made various dance appearances in many music videos all by the age of 13. "we'd (the fly girls--name of dance group) be out performing at celebrity parties 'til like 4 in the morning on school nights."

through her mother's dream of a successful dance group, many different roads in the entertainment field were paved. she signed with several acting agencies where she acquired many lead roles. due to the amount of work she had received after just a month in the acting business, clarissa was signed off to a manager (a pretty impressive step for a newcomer). her struggles with both school and work at her mother's staffing agency left her manager disappointed. clarissa was dropped.

the then 15 year old did not let this put her down, walking into a recording studio with a folder full of music. 8 years older, 3 demos later, and a bachelor's degree-wiser, her ambitions burn stronger. rissa graduated from college, putting everything on hold to achieve her 17-year old dream. shopping her demo around, the dynamic lady found herself negotiating deals with various independent labels. even more confident with what she has to offer--talent, brains, beauty, and a crazy personality--rissa goes headstrong into major offices, waiting for her big break.

now, claRissa patiently maps out future goals, which stretch far above the Simple Life. "i've been dreaming this dream for a long time, putting in a lot of hard work, and it'll pay off soon. i may not be that famous singer or that popular actor, but i'll do something impressive--or i'll jump off a f*ing building (ha)!"