Comment

Comment by ۞♥iLOVEi♥۞ on December 15, 2010 at 7:23pm

KAT DELUNA - When New Jersey-bred Dominican singer Kat DeLuna dubbed her debut album 9 Lives (GMB/Epic Records), she had no idea how prophetic that title would prove to be. Two years after she strutted into the limelight with her tropical-flavored, gold-certified single Whine Up, featuring Jamaican reggae star Elephant Man, DeLuna has undergone a personal and artistic rebirth. Now signed to Universal Motown Records, the 21-year-old performer is reemerging with a surprisingly daring, refreshingly innovative techno-, dance- and rock-infused pop sound that allows her to flaunt her operatic vocal range wh ile still churning out catchy, universally relatable, feel-good cuts. Ever the trendsetter, DeLuna is also experimenting with a bolder, edgier, sexier look that attests to her unfettered confidence and fearless attitude.
"Dance, Bailalo", the lead single from her upcoming sophomore album "Inside Out" (GMB/Universal Motown) demonstrates DeLuna's innovative new sound by blending tropical samba rhythms with new school dance melodies. This infectious combination paired with her seductive lyrics lure listeners to let loose and hit the dance floor hard. Celebrity Gossip Star/Blogger Perez Hilton deemed Dance, Bailalo a "Summer Anthem" adding "(Dance, Bailalo is) one of the most scorching dance singles we've heard all year!" DeLunas brazen self-assurance permeates the track Unstoppable, a teaser single released to f ans. The anthem-like track, which features 2008s top-selling artist Lil Wayne, DeLuna challenges and even taunts naysayers. By displaying such a decidedly unapologetic, take-no-prisoners attitude, DeLuna lets audiences know shes got enough heart to withstand any criticisms, hiccups and obstacles she may encounter on the road to superstardom.
Not that ambitiousness and drive are new to the petite songstress, born Kathleen Emperatriz DeLuna in the Bronx, New York. When she was still an infant, her family relocated to the Dominican Republic, where they remained until DeLuna reach ed age 6. They then returned to the U.S., settling down in Newark, New Jersey. Even at that tender age, DeLuna displayed a keen interest in music, soaking in tunes by Aretha Franklin and Billie Holiday, among others. Like any budding artist, she drew from her own experiences for inspiration, channeling her sorrow over her parents impending divorce into the lyrics of her first original song, Estoy Triste (I Am Sad).
Her desire to perform intensified as the years passed. By the time shed hit junior high, DeLuna had shared the stage with such Latin music heavyweights as merengue queen Millie Quezada and salsa superstar Marc Anthony. DeLuna was accepted into the New Jersey High school of Performing Arts, a prestigious academy that boasts Savion Glover, Tisha Campbell and Whitney Houston among its alumni.20DeLuna trained as an opera singer, joining the school choir as a soprano and ceasing every opportunity to hone her craft. By age 14 deluna had appeared on national tv (41univision, NJN) for a national competition called "Imagines" sponsored by Celia Cruz and Tito Puente, in which talented children participate in singing, dancing, and instrument playing. DeLuna was crowned with 1st place both times she participated. At 15, she won first place at a Coca-Cola sponsored karaoke competition thanks to her powerful rendition of Whitney Houstons I Will Always Love You. Salsa singer Rey Ruiz, who attended the event, encouraged DeLuna to write her own material and continue pursuing her dreams. Soon thereafter, she signed with production label Global Music Brand and secured a deal with Epic Records, the label that released her breakout album 9 Lives, a Caribbean-flavored mélange of dancehall, pop, R&B and reggae tunes produced by RedOne and executive produced by Akon.