was a time when I slept on a sofa-bed with two of my sisters while my other sister slept in an armchair.

That’s when I realized I had to do shit on my own.” Kat recalls those harsh experiences in her

autobiographical breakout single, “Gangsta,” as she vividly sketches the painful details of her life: “No, I

ain’t stuntin’ like my daddy / He’s living with my grammy / Used to be a big baller / He’s surviving off of

gambling / But I love him, he’s my daddy / Yeah, I love him, he’s my daddy / Put him in a big house before I

By age 18, Kat had saved up enough money from waitressing at Miami hotspots like STK to strike out on her

own, however, the nagging feeling that she wanted more from life prompted her to move to New York. She

soon settled in North Bergen, New Jersey, but on arrival in 2010, became derailed by a toxic relationship. A

year later, she emerged confident, strong, running her own game and endowed with the insight to channel

her emotions into songs that she wrote. That’s when Kat Hue became Kat Dahlia. “My friend J. Dens—who

produced ‘Gangsta’ and ‘My Garden’—came up with the name Kat Dahlia,” she explains. “At first, I was

hesitant about it because I thought maybe it was too dark and harsh. But when I looked up the definition of

a dahlia, I discovered that it’s a beautiful flower, one of a kind that’s very hard to grow and very hard to

duplicate. I also like the duality of the hardness and softness of the name, which is why I feel it’s an

The juxtaposition of darkness and light is a recurring theme in Kat’s lyrics, one that she explores with

aplomb in My Garden’s tantalizing title track, in which she chants, “My garden’s wide of daisies / And it’s

untouched, come play / Check in my rhythm, baby / My sky’s been looking grey / My garden’s wide of

daisies / And it’s untouched of sin / My root’s been craving lately / To soak in your diamonds.” It is also the

core of her appeal as the rare pop artist who embodies both style and substance. “I feel like a messenger,”

she explains. “I want to send a positive message of love and put out good music that constantly challenges

me as an artist.” Beware: Kat Dahlia has arrived, she’s armed and she’s dangerous.