Raised in the Bronx and the Dominican Republic, pop vocalist
Kat DeLuna grew up with a love for singing and, at the age of 14, began attending the New Jersey School of the Performing Arts. She formed a group called Coquette, which once opened for rapper
Cassidy, but it wasn't long before she signed with GMB Music Group through the Sony-distributed Epic label. Her debut album,
9 Lives, released in August 2007, featured "Whine Up," a number one club and Top 30 pop hit featuring
Elephant Man. Dropped from Epic after the album failed to crack the Top 50,
DeLuna later signed with Universal. That alliance was just as brief, yielding
Inside Out, an album released only in European territories and in Japan, despite collaborations with
Akon and
Lil Wayne. The single "Dancing Tonight," however, was issued by eOne in the U.S. and became
DeLuna's second single to top the Billboard club chart. Her third album,
Loading, arrived on eOne in August 2016 with appearances from
Trey Songz and
Jeremih. ~ Andy Kellman