KAT DELUNA’S COMEBACK
In a room where a piano waits like a confidant and the city’s pulse threads through the windows, Kat DeLuna speaks from a voice trained in worlds both imagined and lived. Born of the Bronx and the Dominican Republic, she has built a career on the art of crossing borders—musically, linguistically, culturally—without losing the specificity of her own sound. From the train-stop street rhythms she absorbed as a child to the operatic study that later honed her technique, DeLuna has choreographed a path that is as much about lineage as it is about reinvention.
Her newest project, “Mala Mía“, arrives not as a departure from the past but as an expanded conversation with it: a Spanish-language album that speaks in a voice sharpened by years of touring, listening, and reimagining. In conversation, she revisits the first spark—how merengue’s tamboras, bachata’s cadence, and a Bronx street corner’s breakdancing formed a single, stubborn rhythm inside her—and she asks what it means to grow into sovereignty as an artist who has long carried both her heritage and her city on her shoulders.
If the early chapters were written in the key of discovery—learning to blend Caribbean colors with mainstream pop, carrying the “Katalouna” sound to audiences far from where it began—the current moment reads like a masterclass in leadership and collaboration. DeLuna speaks of creative control not as a solitary triumph but as the result of a trusted team and a willingness to push beyond familiar boundaries. She reflects on the quiet force of authenticity—how embracing her accent, her L’s, and her bilingual storytelling opened doors to a sound that was at once intimate and expansive.
The Mala Mía era, she suggests, is less about returning to a moment and more about translating it for a larger canvas: a personal and artistic maturation that respects the past while insisting the music remain “organic”—unforced, truth-telling, and unabashedly self-directed. The interview traces that trajectory—from the Bronx street corners to studio sessions that feel like conversations with the room itself—finishing with a sense of momentum: a creator who sees the next record not as a risk but as a continuation of a promise she made to herself long ago.
FEATURE INTERVIEW:
What early experiences in the Bronx and Dominican Republic most shaped your approach to blending Caribbean rhythms with mainstream pop?
Being raised in both New York City and the Dominican Republic as a child definitely helped shape me as a person and most definitely as a musician. So I remember early on, like, walking with my mom and my little sister going, you know, down to take the train, for example, and you’ll have, like, a bunch of guys just playing hip-hop in the corner, you know, in their boombox back then or, you know, doing dance, break dancing. And then, you know, while living in the Dominican Republic, not only do we hear music everywhere, but even going to the beach, there was a party at the beach with merengue and the tamboras, you know, and then driving back home, listening to bachata.
But then, you know, DR is a place also where we don’t only listen to our cultural, typical music, we listen to so many, like, colors of music. So we would listen to la balada, Samantha Miguel, in Spanish. So I would try to belt and sing and dance.
And then I remember, you know, the moves of walking in the streets in the Bronx or NY or Manhattan and just always seeing wherever I was, I just always saw multiple colors of what music meant, of what culture was. And even, like, learning how to speak English and Spanish through experiencing that also helped me shape my mind. And I think it’s so important for a child to experience just music in itself and all types of culture, all types of genre.
So I guess that’s what life did. I guess God designed it that way, where I was able to experience music in all levels. And then, of course, then I got to high school, and then I started to, you know, get into opera, and I was classically trained. And then the rest, you know, happened. And you already know, then Kat Deluna became alive.
Looking back at “Whine Up,” what do you think the record taught you about crossing genres, and how does that lesson inform your choices on Mala Mía?
So yeah. Well, I was writing and producing, helping everything that we were doing in the project for Nine Lives, which was where YNAB was part of. It’s so interesting to say this, but we were just doing music. We were not thinking specifically like, oh, we’re completely on purpose crossing genres. I was just being myself. I was just, we were just sitting there and I’m like, like for Am I Dreaming, for example, in the album, I know you asked about YNAB, but let me go in deeper.
Like I was like, for Am I Dreaming, I wanna do pop and a little bit of bachata, you know? And hey, I love Selena Quintanilla, you know? And Dreaming was so reminiscent of Dreaming of You, right? Or for example, Wine Up, you know? All I heard was a party. And then when the album was done and the single itself was completed and then we put, you know, Elephant Man on it, that is when we literally sat down. And I was like, oh, wow, we just created a new sound.
And that is what happened. And you know, the lesson that it really taught me overall is just when you’re creating music, when you’re creating art, whatever it is that you do in life, just try to come from an organic, you know, perspective and stay true to who you are. Sometimes you’ll be surprised how something that is so small, I guess, to you is so big and different to others.
The way that, for example, my L’s, because I’m Dominican, I’m Latina, but I’m from New York, you know, the way my L’s are different, you know? The way I say, really? You know, maybe, you know, if I had been embarrassed of my accent, I would probably have never created or been part of, you know, this amazing sound that was created back in 2007, which led to create the song, my first single ever, Wine Up. So yeah, just, I guess the same thing came about when creating Mala Mia. I’ve just always stuck true to myself and also my team.
I’ve always been really, God has been really gracious to me, so engraved that my team also definitely understands that about me. So anything that they could even say, hey, Kat, do you like this song or should we do this? They always know to think and show, hey, this is what Kat likes. It has to be like what people started calling it back in 2007, the Katalouna sound.
You’ve highlighted a more defined era with greater creative control. Can you describe a moment in the making of Mala Mía where you felt that sovereignty most clearly?
For an artist, creative control is key. Or sometimes if you’re starting, right, and you’re new and you’re getting to figure it out, I guess creative presence. Because I feel like myself, a formula is, let’s say you come up with the formula, but you form a team around it. And it’s really healthy to be able to get opinions and see, do your research within the team. What do you think about this sound? What do you think about that? That to me, I’ve learned to be a leader in that form, in that way. Even to the point sometimes it’s fine if someone else brings an idea to me and I’ll literally put the cat twist to it.
And I think with Malamia and the album it’s part of, it was really interesting. I was, for the first time, not Malamia specifically, but this album that’s coming out is so awesome. I was a little bit uncomfortable because for the first time I was pushed and I pushed myself to not do, I mean, we’re always reinventing, right? I’ve been in the game a long time to know that reinvention is normal.
But it was just, I went in certain places that I never thought I would go now. In my career, especially coming back out, a lot of people still consider me pretty, still new even though I broke so many barriers and I broke, like first Dominican pop artist, first girl who’s Dominican from the Bronx, but raised in DR and also raised in Newark, New Jersey. So musically, Latin, like tumbao with pop worldwide.
But still, I feel like it doesn’t matter how grand we get, what accolades we get in life, you’re always one moment away from reinventing yourself in a very different matter. And I think clearly it shows my maturity level now that I would not have been able to get there without learning what a true leader is and what true creative control is. And to me, it’s a big, big, big highlight on team effort, team work, but the right team, right? And that’s hard to build.
The Mala Mía video features a symbolic fence and a commanding presence. What message are you conveying through the visuals, and how do they align with the music’s mood?
I feel like in my musical career, I’ve had many fences and videos, maybe like two videos with fences, right? And I just, we always revert going back to the fences, I think because going back to your first question, like how did music shape me by, you know, being raised in New York, the Bronx, also Manhattan, then DR, and then obviously I cannot leave out Brick City, Newark, New Jersey, that’s where I finished growing up. And there’s a lot of fences. And also, I think for the culture is also, I did it for La Raza, you know, the Latino community.
I don’t know, to me, it signifies our culture, the streets also of New York. Visually, the whole video was fun. We just had a take on like the house parties, but like the street parties with a little bit of fashion, because we gave it a little bit of like punk rock sexy, because it’s very like dark fun. But in this video, I was so organic. I didn’t care. I was just having fun because the song says, “Mala Mia,” which means like, oops, my bad.
And it says, hey, if it bothers you who I am, I’m not here for you, I’m here for myself. And I think something about that is so powerful, right? That the video had to show that, and you’ll see me having fun. I’m not trying to be perfect. I’m not trying to be, you know, the most, like my makeup was awesome. My hair was awesome, but you don’t see a girl trying to be a pop star. You see a girl being a star. And I wanted to embody that because it’s a character. It’s not a visual thing, you know?
How would you summarize your personal and artistic growth in the past years, and how is that growth reflected in your upcoming Spanish-language album?
Yeah. Well, I’ve been, I literally grew up in the public side, and people didn’t even notice because we were all the same age. We were all growing up together. I say that to my fans all the time, and I’m very grateful for it. I have also been very private.
So I’ve been able to keep myself and grow. And I feel like that helped a lot. That helped a lot in helping me keep very, I always keep raw, organic, like true to myself, traveling the world, learning new languages, learning people, new music styles, you know, and just always being that girl. Because at the end of the day, I’m that singer songwriter who’s cool and can dance, and you know, does all the Dominican Latina things. Therefore it’s pop artists, right?
But it really helped shape that myself to the point where I said, if I’m coming back out, it has to be something like me, where I’m at now. Like, you know, and the maturity level is there. I don’t really care what other people have to say about it, as long as I was happy with what I completely created. And I know a lot of artists have said that before, but I finally get why they say it. You know how they say that, like, oh my God, imagine me with that experience.
And now like, this is how I feel. And then, you know, I know it is a Spanish album, but I say it’s a Catalina album in Spanish, because the sounds and the messages are very dear to my heart. And they’re interesting, because I have an interesting way of, and I think that’s what sets me apart. I’ve been able to sit back and look at the artists myself. I’m very different and I love that. And I celebrate that, you know, I’m not just your regular singer.
I do have this personality about me. That is very intricate, very fun, outgoing, loving, giving. But at the same time, I have this presence where I’m gonna go for it. And sometimes I’m gonna say, I don’t wanna go for it. And in the not going for it, there my power lays. And I think that is what has shaped this entire music project is my growth. I mean, look how long in a way, long for people, not for me, they say that. Look how, you know, I took my time. And I think, I guess I’m rebellious. I’m like a sweet heart, but I’m rebellious. And you can see this in my album.
For artists navigating a major-label landscape vs. pursuing independent paths, what advantages do you find in directing your own project, and what challenges have you faced?
Oh, wow, very good question, especially for like up and coming artists. You know, what is the difference between a major label or pursuing your own independent paths? Oh, it’s very, very nerve wracking if you don’t know the business. I feel like you have to do your homework. Don’t look at the hype of, oh my God, I’m signed to a record label or, oh my God, this is like, wow, it’s my dream come true. Where the world is today is not a dream come true. In a way, it’s literally a job and you gotta be that business person and check all your marks, you know, or your finances or your, make sure everyone in your team is a team player, you know.
Don’t be afraid to set boundaries, hard boundaries, like locked in boundaries, right? And knowing these things now help me have a better understanding and help me have no fear of, for example, going in my own independent path, being independent artists, you know, because you can face a lot of hurdles, not having certain relationships, not having certain support or having to prove yourself even more because you’re half and half now.
But at the same time, you know, I am very, very blessed to have a lot, you know, a lot of friends, a lot of people, like business friends, a lot of certain people, you know, waiting to work with me because it’s all business, but you build that through time. And if I had to give an advice to up and coming artists, guys, please don’t go about the hype and the fame, like that really fades. And just try to like think about it like as if you yourself are a product, how are you gonna sustain its marketing? And even if you go down, how you come back out, how are you gonna reinvent yourself? Whether you’re in a major or an independent label, at the end of the day, it’s the work you put in behind the scenes. That is the most important work you put in.
Why is this summer the right moment for a Spanish-language project, and how do you balance authentic storytelling with crossover appeal?
I feel my crossover appeal is because I’m Spanglish. I’m from the New York area. I always say us like New Yorkers, also, you know, the tri-state area, New Jersey, we literally have our own language. Like that’s all, you dead ass. Or then I’m out here like, damn son. Like, you know, or like, like is a thing. Or pero, pero like, que tu haces? Yeah, because I’m going over there and you know it. And it’s like people that are not even Latinos in this area kind of flow. They flow with the Spanglish, right?
And that being said, like, it’s, I don’t know why, but it’s been a thing, especially for me. My music is very, usually very energetic, upbeat. My personality is very energetic. And when I speak, I’m very energetic. So therefore the summer is very fun. Energetic is when life begins, even hardcore. Or for some, when it, you know, when it, when it calms down, you know, to go into the winter.
And our culture is very festive. The Latino culture, especially me being Dominicana. Ya tu sabes, there’s a party for everything. So it’s very cool and authentic to come out during that time or to start pushing a song that has any kind of Latin sounds, whether it’s an instrument, whether it’s a word, a flow. But I feel overall though, the most important part of it is just having a hook, having an anthem, having something about the song has to be memorable, whether it’s Spanish or not, because you can also have hits literally in the summer that are not Spanish, right, leaning.
But it’s just because the Spanish, you know, any kind of genre in the Spanish world musically has that energy, that upbeat. Even if it’s like a ballad, like singing about love is dramatic and drama in itself has energy, you know? So yeah, so I think it’s just me being me, being able to tell my stories from my perspective, living as a Latina woman of color in the world, experiencing who I am. And it’s the time for the Spanish movement. Even though I do believe that in 2007, when I came out with that sound, I started something new that kind of like still precedes me and I’m still here with it. It’s just a real moment, a full circle moment. But yeah, mira how I stay. It’s Latino time, baby. Let’s go.
If you could describe the sonic evolution of your music from “Whine Up” to Mala Mía in three phrases, what would they be?
Thank you so much for everything and this wonderful interview. So the sonic evolution that I’ve had from my first album to now I’m releasing this song, Malamia. Malamia is fun, but let’s talk about the actual album. My voice has gotten better. So I know it’s funny, but as an opera singer, they always say like the better and older you get, your vocal cords are like crazier, are amazing. They just have more power because it starts with your voice evolution, right?
I’ve really settled into my awesome accent so I can influence my music. And I think a lot of my sound is my accent, believe it or not, like that New York Latina girl. And then sometimes, I don’t know, I swear that I can do this, the English one, darling. But sonically is just with the times, I’m just, you know how they say someone is set in their ways? I’m literally set in the energetic, high, joyful, boosting sounds.
But at the same time, I can sit there and serenade you and sing you a song like a lot of people can’t nowadays. And I can say that very confidently, and I’m grateful, you have to be grateful for the talents the Lord gives you, right? I can sing, but now I’m not shy about it anymore. So I can’t wait, not only in the album, but to bring this to fruition in the stages everywhere where I go and travel. And this time, unlike 2007, this time the world will see it because we have just so much, so many ways of exposing what we do. And I just can’t wait for that, you know?
Which artists (past or present) do you turn to for inspiration when shaping new material, and are there any collaborations you’re excited to pursue for your upcoming EP?
A lot of my inspiration for a lot of the upbeat songs in this album was, I don’t know why I went there, but like Plaguero, which is basically when reggaeton started. A lot of dembow, a lot of Dominican dembow. All of my people, Arlene MC, La Más Dol, El Alfa, La Belbeza, like old school, like Don Omar. I just went back to the roots. You know what I’m saying?
And I know it’s gonna sound cliche and weird. Myself, I’ve even gone back to hear Cat the Luna 2007, because those sounds there and Nine Lives and then Inside Out after what I did in Europe, all the songs I’d done, I went back and I looked at myself and that in itself is so, like it’s constructive because any song that I ever did, I’ve even had a song with Darren. He is from Sweden and I put literally like my Latina touch to it. So I went to that and I said, how can we continue that or remake it? So it’s very important to sometimes go back to the roots of who you are or were as an artist, but also go back to people you might start to have listening to or like now. Collaborations for this album, I have for the album, none. Remixes, maybe.
And I know this makes no sense because we’re talking about a beat, but I don’t know, like I feel like I need my life to do a song with Andrea Bocelli and somehow Luis Miguel. And let me tell you, hear me out, hear me out. I know all the mothers are gonna be happy about this, but I feel like my voice in his, like in a fun ballad would be incredible.
You’ve teased exclusive content ahead of the EP. Can you share what fans can expect in the lead-up to the season’s releases, and how they can stay connected with you during this rollout?
I love this question. You see, I like, I don’t like to predict. I like to decree, darling. I like to say a word and say, it will be because God said so. And I do believe that, I don’t think it’s just my music, but who I am today as an artist and coming out new, traveling this summer. I will be touring through France and Japan and many other countries that we’re adding to the dates list right now, but I’m gonna disrupt the music landscape just by adding a little bit of who I am, little by little.
And I feel just like I did in 2007, I came up with a new sound, a new move. This time it’s almost like, oh, she here, here, and it’s almost like I never left because my music and I was just so blessed, not only by the Lord, of course, my fans, where my music, think about it, like I came out 2007 and one of my first songs still plays today, like it just came out, you know? So I like this question. I will decree that I will have a change. Now, which change? We gotta see it come, you get it? We gotta see it happen, live and clear.
But I’m really excited and really, really, really grateful to God and to my fans and everyone in my team and pushing through and supporting me. But more than anything, it starts with me, with you yourself, right? And every day how I wake up and I’m like, I will be here because I’m supposed to be here. And this is my purpose, you know, to change the world. And if I could, I know you didn’t ask me that, but I would say to finish this off, like my purpose, my motto would just be like, if I can like literally meet every person every day, I would like to leave them with just hope and joy that every day can be a new day to start all over again and find yourself. And I think that’s number one for everyone in this world, any age.
Photographer: Tyrone Edmond
