KAT DELUNA
Kat DeLuna is a force to be reckoned with. The petite singer and songwriter strides into a room and immediately lights it up with her angel-faced beauty, playful humor, and rapid-fire chatter as she reels off story after story in her Dominican Republic-by-way-of-New-Jersey-accented English. “Oh, I’ve always had lots to say,” DeLuna says with a laugh. “My mom thinks I developed my vocal cords by crying so much when I was a kid. She would say, ‘If you don't stop crying you're not coming to the store with me.’ She'd leave me with my Nana, spend three hours in the store, come back, and I'd still be crying. She was like, ‘’Oh my God, this little girl!’"
DeLuna brings that same determination to the attention-grabbing songs she’s written and recorded for her upcoming new album Viva Out Loud — a title that perfectly encapsulates her personality. “I live my life out loud,” she says. “When you meet me, what you see is what you get, and I do it through the music. Music is always there —through the good times and the bad. I want this album to be a soundtrack for people’s lives and to encourage them to keep going on, no matter what obstacles get in their way.”
DeLuna knows a thing or two about obstacles. Though she’s had solid success as an artist (she launched her career with the gold-certified dancehall-pop single “Whine Up,” which hit No. 1 on the Billboard Dance chart and earned her a Billboard Latin Music Award), DeLuna’s roots are modest. Her life has been punctuated with struggles, however those experiences not only make her relatable, they have also enabled her to tap into deep emotion in her songwriting, providing a nice contrast to the music’s upbeat vibe.
Born in The Bronx, DeLuna was a toddler when her family moved to her parents’ native Dominican Republic, where she recalls a childhood filled with music, everything from her father’s salsa records to her mom’s Aretha Franklin and Donna Summer albums. “I was always singing to myself and for everyone else; I really loved it,“ she says. When DeLuna was six, her parents split up and her mother moved her and her two sisters to live near an aunt in Newark, NJ. “We went from having our own house to living in a one-room apartment in a sketchy neighborhood,” DeLuna recalls. “My mom baked cakes and sold slices for a dollar in the park. It all really shaped me. You learn to appreciate everything you have.” School was also rough. DeLuna remembers being bullied and getting jumped in the bathroom by female classmates who were jealous of the attention she received for her vocal ability.“ I fought back though,” she says, “and eventually they left me alone.”
Through it all there was the music. Each time DeLuna changed schools, her mother put her directly into the choir where she thrived on the pure thrill of singing her heart out. Further encouragement came through her attendance at Newark Arts High School, whose famous alumni include Sarah Vaughan, Savion Glover, and Tisha Campbell-Martin. It was there that she discovered her love for opera and classical music. She also formed female pop/hip-hop vocal group Coquette with a couple of friends. At age 15, DeLuna won a local karaoke competition singing a rendition of “I Will Always Love You” and attracted the attention of Cuban salsa singer Rey Ruiz, who advised her to start writing her own music.
In 2006, DeLuna decided to strike out on her own when Epic Records expressed interest in signing her. She partnered up with a then-unknown producer named RedOne (now known for his work with Lady Gaga and Nicki Minaj) and released “Whine Up,” which became the top-selling single on iTunes Latino, reached No. 1 in France, and nabbed her an MTVtr3’s “Best New Artist” Award. With RedOne as producer, DeLuna co-wrote every song on her debut album 9 Lives, including the hit single “Run The Show” featuring Busta Rhymes, which hit No. 2 on the Billboard Dance chart and reached the Top 10 in several countries. Shortly after DeLuna released an International album which featured the hit “Drop It Low” that quickly blew up along with “Dancing Tonight” which became a Billboard #1 Dance Hit single as well.
Now DeLuna is back with Viva Out Loud — a colorful blend of modern samba (the pumping first single “Wanna See You Dance (La La La),” sleek future pop (dubstep-inspired “Bon Appetit”), euphoric dance tracks (“Lost In Your Love,” “I Can Breathe”), island-flavored dancehall-reggae tunes (“Close Your Eyes,” “Paradise”), and touching beat-driven balladry (“Fall With Me,” “Ground Zero,” “Make It Glow”) that showcaseshes considerable vocal prowess, songwriting talent, as well as undeniable crossover appeal.
"I'm a lot of different colors musically, that's who I am,” DeLuna says.“I can't say I'm just American or Latina. So yes, I wanted the pounding dance-floor beats, but on the inside I'm this really calm, laid-back girl who loves to listen to heartfelt music. I like songs that take you through a range of emotions and that’s what I tried to do with my music. If it’s going to be a crazy upbeat song, I still want it to say something. ‘Ground Zero’ is about rebuilding a relationship from the ground up and how giving up pieces of your heart makes you a fighter, while ‘Wanna See You Dance’ is a straight-up call to get everyone out on the dancefloor. I want people to listen to the album and experience all kinds of feelings. I want my music to affect people’s lives the way it did mine.”
#Weekendmixtape Crew Picks
@sisanie - "Don't You Worry Child" - Sweedish House Mafia
@JuliePilat - "Clique" - Kanye West, Big Sean & JayZ
@karlihenriquez - "Wanna See U Dance" - Kat DeLuna
@DjSkee - "Bandz" - Juicy J
