Newcomer Kat DeLuna Selected as MTV Tr3s “Descubre & Download’ Artist

“Kat DeLuna, the 19-year-old star-on-the-rise, has been selected as MTV Tr3s’ “Descubre & Download” Artist and will get high profile placement on “MiTRL,” MTVTr3s.com, MTV Tr3s Radio, MTV Tr3s Mobile, MTV.com, VOD, and MTV Networks’ URGE digital music service. A free download of Kat’s dance hit, “Whine Up” featuring Elephant Man and “Whine Up (En Español)” is available exclusively at MTVTr3s.com July 23rd through September 2nd.

“The MTV Tr3s audience will love discovering Kat DeLuna’s talent,” says Jesus Lara, MTV Tr3s SVP of Music and Talent. “Kat is a gifted artist and vocalist, whose bilingual, bicultural background exemplifies MTV Tr3s’ audience reality and make her a natural selection for our ‘Descubre & Download’ emerging artist platform.”

MTV Tr3s fans will meet Kat on July 31st at 4:30 PM when she makes her appearance on “MiTRL.” Complete information on Kat, her music and her story will be found on a dedicated Kat DeLuna “Descubre & Download” artist page on MTVTr3s.com.

Like Kat herself, the 13-song debut “9 Lives” is a simmering melting pot of language, culture, and youthful energy. Her sound is a colorful canvas of strokes blending pop, reggaeton, hip-hop, meringue, R&B and bachata (sound of her Dominican roots) with hints of her classical training in opera infused throughout the album; all with a “girl-next-door” charm. Nowhere is this more evident than on her lead single “Whine Up” featuring Elephant Man. With other undeniable hits like “Am I Dreaming” and “Run the Show” it’s no wonder that Kat has superstars like R. Kelly and Alvaro Torres calling her a “prodigy” and “the next Selena.”

Kat was born in the Bronx and raised in the Dominican Republic. By age four, friends and family had already recognized her talent. She attended the New Jersey High School of the Performing Arts; a specialized talent high school once attended by famed artists like Savion Glover, Whitney Houston and Tisha Campbell, where she formed the all girl group Coquette, a Latina, Hip Hop/R&B group.

While working with Coquette, Kat continued to search for opportunities to lead her towards her goal as a world-renowned performer. At age 15, Kat encountered her fate when she entered a karaoke competition where her version of “I Will Always Love You” seized first place. It was through this competition that she met Cuban salsa singer Rey Ruiz who gave Kat advice that she carries with her today. “He told me, nobody knows you better than you do, and no one can help you if you can’t help yourself,” says Kat. With this, Kat began aggressively writing her own music and has continued to do so since.

“9 Lives” debuts this summer on GMB Music Group/Epic Records.

MTV Tr3s is the most-widely distributed TV network dedicated to superserving today’s bicultural Latino youth. MTV Tr3s’ programming is rooted in the fusion of American and Latino music, cultures, lifestyles and languages. Music programming is at the core of MTV Tr3s and the channel features hitmakers, emerging artists and new sounds that resonate with young U.S. Latinos. In addition to music programming, MTV Tr3s programming slate also features lifestyle series, news, documentaries and other long-form programs that celebrate US Latino hybrid identity and culture. “

• Raul Humberto Yzaguirre, 70, a veteran activist in the civil rights struggle of Hispanics in the United States, has been accepted by the Dominican Government as new American ambassador in the country.
• The mayor of a wealthy suburb (San Pedro Garza Garcia) of Monterrey said Monday that he has sent his family to the United States for their own safety as he pursues his campaign against extortion and kidnapping gangs.
• An Inside Look at Over-the-top Quinceañeras – Latina coming-of-age parties on MTV Tr3s show “Quiero Mis Quinces” include celeb-filled guest lists
• The Quinceanera on MTV TR3s: Time for Lace and Taffeta
• Bilingual ballots may be coming to Hall – Growing Latino population could require voting material be available in Spanish – Gainesville, Georgia
• Hispanic Entrepreneur profile: Entrepreneurship began early for Gándara family – El Paso
• When Fidel Castro Dictated to the Old U.S. Media
• Pro-Castro mob attacks spouse of top Cuban blogger – Yoani Sánchez
• Radio Arte, a community, bilingual and youth-centered radio station owned by the National Museum of Mexican Art, is joining forces with Vocalo.org, founded by Chicago Public Radio, for a year-long collaboration.
• Democrats and Republicans deployed their heavy artillery Thursday in a heated congressional hearing to debate a bill seeking to end the travel ban to Cuba.
• Part of a Cuban blogger’s essay that advocates lifting the ban on U.S. travel to Cuba was read aloud at a House Foreign Affairs committee hearing. – Yoani Sánchez
• Obama answers top Cuban blogger – Yoani Sanchez
• Telefonica and Vivo gain on the Latin Wireless Index, while America Movil and NII lose.
• The Cuban band Septeto Nacional de Ignacio Piñeiro can legitimately claim to be inventors of salsa. But it last played in the United States when Franklin D. Roosevelt was president, and there was no telling when it might be able to return — until the very slightest hint of a thaw in cultural relations between the United States and Cuba quietly brought the band to New York early this month.
• 70% of Cuba’s Farmland Threatened by Erosion
• Who seriously wants the Cuban trade embargo?
• Yanked off the air in July after co-host Don Pryor repeatedly uttered an ethnic slur, “The Todd and Don Show” will return to KLBJ-AM on Dec. 7, according to a statement released jointly by the station’s management and local Hispanic leaders who met earlier today. – Austin
• T-Mobile Complete(R) Offers Hispanic Consumers Flexibility and Value with New Pay-in-Advance Packages
• A report published by The Hispanic Institute and Mobile Future highlights the opportunities presented by mobile broadband access for the nation’s 48 million Hispanics.
• Eduardo Caballero to receive Medalla de Cortez Award in NYC