Kat Dahlia

Katriana Sandra Huguet, better known by her stage name Kat Dahlia and formerly known as Kat Hue, is an American recording artist, singer, songwriter, and rapper. Born on July 29, 1990, in Miami, Florida, she is known for her combination of razor-sharp lyrics and a unique, aggressive musical flow. She performs by both singing and rapping in English and Spanish, drawing on a wide variety of musical genres.

Huguet was raised in Miami Beach, Florida, by her Cuban mother and Lebanese-Cuban father. She began rapping at eight years old and started writing songs at age 15, using instrumental tracks taken from YouTube. At the age of 18, after saving money from working as a waitress, she moved to New York City. Following a relationship that served as creative inspiration for her songwriting, she adopted the stage name Kat Dahlia after her producer suggested it, selecting the name for its combination of a soft, beautiful image with a dark undertone.

After self-financing an extended play (EP) and a music video, Dahlia was discovered by Amanda Berkowitz, the Vice President of A&R at Vested in Culture. Berkowitz brought her to record executive Sylvia Rhone, who signed Dahlia in 2012 to her newly established label, Vested in Culture, in a joint venture with Epic Records. In 2013, Dahlia ranked at number eight on Billboard's Next Big Sound list and was selected as a BET Music Matters artist.

Dahlia digitally released three songs, "Gangsta," "Money Party," and "Mirror," on March 5, 2013. The music video for her debut single "Gangsta," directed by Samantha Lecca and filmed in Miami, reflected the difficulties of her early life. The track was later featured in the Season 16 premiere of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in September 2014. On January 15, 2015, Dahlia released her debut studio album, My Garden, through Vested in Culture and Epic Records. The album debuted at number 54 on the US Billboard 200 chart and received generally positive reviews from critics.

In May 2016, Dahlia released her third EP, titled 20s, 50s, 100s, via SoundCloud, featuring the songs "Run It Up," "Voices in My Head," and "Lion." In May 2017, she released the single "Friday Night Majic," intended as the lead single for a second studio album titled Naked Lady and a White Horse, though the album was ultimately not released. She released the single "Body and Soul" in July 2017, followed by a collaborative EP titled South Beach Social Club with producer Salaam Remi in May 2018.

Dahlia has cited a diverse group of musical influences, including Christina Aguilera, Michael Jackson, B. B. King, Miles Davis, Led Zeppelin, The Doors, Bob Marley, Frank Sinatra, and Celia Cruz, noting that reggae and dancehall music in Miami significantly impacted her style. In 2022, she contributed to songwriting by co-writing the single "COCO" alongside Joel DELEŌN, Gale, and DallasK.