Kat DeLuna
Kat and her family moved from The Bronx, US to the Dominican Republic early, where she was raised in poverty. Kat spent her time listening to Aretha Franklin and Billie Holiday records. At the age of 14, they moved back to the US, where Kat realized her potential as a singer. With that goal in mind, Kat was accepted to the New Jersey School of the Performing Arts. As a freshman, she scoured the pages of The Village Voice for auditions. After many auditions, DeLuna received a call for an all girl group, which later became the first Latina, Hip Hop/R&B group: Coquette. While being a part of Coquette, Kat continued to search for opportunities to pursue her dream of becoming a solo artist. At age of 15, Kat entered a Coca-Cola sponsored karaoke competition. Her version of "I Will Always Love You" won the competition. The competition also resulted her into meeting the legendary Cuban salsa singer Rey Ruiz. Ruiz gave KAT advice and with it, she started writing her own music and has continued to do so since.