Kat DeLuna

Kathleen Emperatriz DeLuna, born November 26, 1984, is an American singer best known for her commercial success with her debut single "Whine Up" and her debut studio album, 9 Lives. Born in the Bronx to Dominican parents, she spent part of her childhood in the Dominican Republic before returning to the United States. She holds both American and Dominican citizenship and identifies as Dominican.

DeLuna realized her vocal potential after moving to Newark, New Jersey, at age 14. She attended Newark Arts High School, where she formed an R&B group named Coquette with her friends. At age 15, she won first place in a Coca-Cola sponsored karaoke competition, where she met Cuban salsa singer Rey Ruiz. Following his encouragement, she began writing her own music. After Coquette opened for a concert in 2004, DeLuna decided to pursue a solo career in 2006 and signed a recording contract with Epic Records.

In May 2007, DeLuna released her debut single, "Whine Up," featuring dancehall artist Elephant Man. The single became an international commercial success, reaching number 29 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, topping the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart, and entering the top 20 in countries such as Canada, Belgium, and France. Her debut studio album, 9 Lives, was released in August 2007, peaking at number 58 on the Billboard 200 and reaching the top 20 in Belgium, Finland, and Poland. Her follow-up single, "Run the Show," reached number two on the U.S. Hot Dance Club Play chart and secured top 10 positions in Belgium, Finland, and Romania.

DeLuna earned several awards for her early work. In 2007, she won Best New Artist at Los Premios MTV Latinoamérica. In 2008, she received the awards for Best New Artist and Best Urban Artist at the TMF Awards in Belgium, a Casandra Award for Best International Artist, and Latin Dance Club Play Track of the Year for "Whine Up" at the Latin Billboard Music Awards. After parting ways with Epic Records in 2008, she signed with Universal Motown. During this transition, she recorded soundtrack singles such as "Unstoppable" featuring Lil Wayne for Confessions of a Shopaholic and participated in "Somos El Mundo," a 2010 Haitian earthquake relief charity single.

DeLuna later signed with Universal Music Belgium and released her second studio album, Inside Out, in November 2010. The album peaked at number 16 in Belgium and spawned singles including "Push Push" featuring Akon, "Party O'Clock," "Dance Bailalo," and "Dancing Tonight." A planned North American edition of the album, titled Viva, was never released.

In 2012, DeLuna released the single "Wanna See U Dance," which later led to her 2016 compilation album, Loading. She subsequently began working on her fourth studio album.