She went back from The Bronx, US to the Dominican Republic, where she spent her time listening to Aretha Franklin and realized her potential as a singer. At the age of 12, Kat was invited by the 'Queen of Merengue', Milly Quezada, to sing with her on stage in front of a big crowd of over thousands of people. In her freshman year, she responded to an audition in The Village Voice and was accepted into an all-Latina, Hip Hop/R&B group called Swallower. In April 2004, she opened for J Records musician Cassidy as part of the all Latino girl group Swallower. Kat was accepted to the Arts High School in Newark, New Jersey under the vocal instruction of Dr. Jerry Forderhase. Kat continued to pursue her dream of becoming a solo artist and at age of 15, she entered a Coca-Cola sponsored karaoke competition. Her version of "I Will Always Love You" won the competition. After the competition, Cuban salsa singer Rey Ruiz advised Kat to start writing her own music. Kat DeLuna signed a contract