Kara Wethington, known by the
stage name Katalina, is a pop/dance artist who was signed to
Thump Records
Thump Records is a record label specialized in various genres of music. Founded by Bill Walker and Al Lopez for $10,000. In 1997 Bill Walker became its sole C.E.O. and President.
History
Thump's success was ignited by the popularity of its Old S ...
. She is mostly known for her hit single "D.J. Girl" from her sole album ''Sonic Groove'' (1996). The album also spawned two more singles, "Sonic Groove" and "You'll Be My Future", but neither found much success on the charts.
Career
Kara Wethington was born in Chicago, Illinois.
She moved to California at a young age, where she was raised.
Wethington was discovered by producer/ manager
Jon St. James
Jon St. James is an American guitarist, songwriter–composer, producer and recording engineer. His Casbah Recording Studio was a part of Orange County, California's new music scene in the late 1970s and early to mid-1980s. St. James' first albu ...
while she was attending
Sonora High School
Sonora High School (SOHS) is a public high school located at 401 S. Palm Street in La Habra, north Orange County, California. One of seven high schools in the Fullerton Joint Union High School District, Sonora served over 1,944 students in the 2 ...
in
La Habra, California
La Habra (archaic spelling of ''La Abra'', ) is a city in the northwestern corner of Orange County, California, United States. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 60,239. A related city, La Habra Heights, is located to the north o ...
and working part-time at his recording studio. When a vocalist failed to show up for a session, St. James asked Wethington to sit in and do a
scratch vocal, which resulted in the song "DJ Girl" released under the
pseudonym
A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...
Katalina. The song peaked at #86 on the
Billboard Hot 100 in October 1996.
Wethington has had several small acting parts, including the role of
crust punk
Crust punk (also known as crust or stenchcore) is a form of music influenced by English punk rock and extreme metal. The style, which evolved in the early 1980s in England, often has songs with dark and pessimistic lyrics that linger on politic ...
Bradie on the
internet television
Streaming television is the digital distribution of television content, such as TV shows, as streaming media delivered over the Internet. Streaming television stands in contrast to dedicated terrestrial television delivered by over-the-air a ...
series ''Fear of a Punk Planet'' (1999–2000) and Merla in the
independent film ''That Darn Punk'' (2001), both of which involved members of the
punk rock band
The Vandals
The Vandals are an American punk rock band, established in 1980 in Orange County, California. They have released ten full-length studio albums, two live albums, and have toured the world extensively, including performances on the Vans Warped ...
. She sang the female vocal on "Wish Me Well (You Can Go to Hell)" on
The Bouncing Souls
The Bouncing Souls are an American punk band from New Brunswick, New Jersey, formed in 1989. By the time of their acknowledgment by the national punk rock scene, they had reignited a "pogo" element to New Jersey punk rock by playing fast light-h ...
' 1999 album ''
Hopeless Romantic'', and sang the lead vocal on a
cover version
In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...
of "
My Heart Will Go On
"My Heart Will Go On" is a 1997 song recorded by Canadian singer Celine Dion. The song serves as the main theme to James Cameron's blockbuster film '' Titanic'', based on an account of the transatlantic ocean liner of the same name which san ...
" with The Vandals for the
''That Darn Punk'' soundtrack. She also played a small role as a singer in ''
Simply Irresistible'', a 1999
romantic comedy
Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typica ...
film for which she contributed a cover version of "
Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered
"Bewitched (Bothered and Bewildered)" is a show tune and popular song from the 1940 Rodgers and Hart musical '' Pal Joey''. It is part of the Great American Songbook. The song was introduced by Vivienne Segal on December 25, 1940, in the Bro ...
" to the soundtrack.
By 2010 Wethington was living in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
and working as a
publicist
A publicist is a person whose job is to generate and manage publicity for a company, a brand, or public figure – especially a celebrity – or for a work such as a book, film, or album. Publicists are public relations specialists who ...
for designer
Calleen Cordero.
Albums
* ''Sonic Groove'' (1996)
Soundtracks
* ''
Bedazzled'' (2000) (song "DJ Girl Around the World" with
Jon St. James
Jon St. James is an American guitarist, songwriter–composer, producer and recording engineer. His Casbah Recording Studio was a part of Orange County, California's new music scene in the late 1970s and early to mid-1980s. St. James' first albu ...
)
Filmography
* ''
Simply Irresistible'' (1999) - torch singer
References
External links
*
Katalina on MySpace Music
{{Authority control
American dance musicians
Living people
Year of birth missing (living people)
Place of birth missing (living people)