The Story
Bringing back the classic sound of R&B with a refreshing contemporary twist, Katrena Rene prepares to take center stage of the music scene. As a child in Richardson, Texas, she enjoyed singing gospel along side her mother, Becky, who introduced her to the world of music. Influenced by such singers as Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, and Patti LaBelle, KatrenaRene set out at the young age of eight to prove that she, too, had something that the world would to fall in love with.
“I remember singing in the living room with my mother while she played the piano. That’s when my passion for music started. It allowed me to go into my ‘imaginary world’ and release all that I was feeling. I never wanted that feeling to end.”
From a young age, Katrena Rene was determined to make her mark in the industry.
At the age of fifteen, she single-handedly recruited a producer to help her get her voice heard. Katrena Rene wrote and co-arranged all of the songs on her demo tape and marketed it to anyone who would hear it. Her drive lead her to use her personal time to read books about the business side of the industry and she eventually proceeded to earn a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of North Texas, the home of Grammy-Award winning artist Norah Jones.
“The industry is above all a business. I wanted to earn a business degree so that I could build on to my strong business sense, and give myself the tools I needed to be successful in reaching my goals in the music industry.”
Katrena Rene is no stranger to the stage. Among 50 competitors, she was chosen to represent the state of Texas in a nation-wide talent competition. Singing the National Anthem at several local events, performing in local night clubs such as Havana’s, Tom Cat’s, The South Lounge, Maxwell’s and Juliet’s (Dallas, Texas), and writing songs are all a small part of her growing repertoire. Katrena Rene was named a finalist in the nationally-televised Star Search competition, as well as being named 1st place artist in the Major League Entertainment state-wide talent competition.
KatrenaRene has been apart of several of Dallas’ premier events including the Soul of the City fashion show hosted by Morris Chestnut. She was the only one out of 10 local artists that received positive media reviews and television coverage. She was also apart of the Dallas Ebony Family Reunion Tour, and was invited to travel to Houston, Texas as a performer in the Houston show. KatrenaRene was also named a top ten finalist out of 167 competitors in the Dallas Voice of Pride competition.
She continues to make a name for herself in Dallas, Texas as the leading female R&B vocalist. Katrena Rene is also hard at work recruiting talent for her first EP that is due to release very soon. Katrena Rene is hard at work preparing for promotional touring. A collaboration of producers and artists are lined up to make appearances on KatrenaRene’s album, such as, Grammy Award-winning artist/writer/producer, Kipper Jones, Dallas-based producer Michael “360” Brooks, Left-Field, Tony Ballard of Common Folk, and several other Dallas-based producers.
In addition to recruiting production talent for her EP, Katrena Rene is in the process of building her company, K. Rene Entertainment, by hiring other Dallas based singers, songwriters, and instrumentalists.
KatrenaRene has trained with world-renounced vocal trainer, Tom McKinney, trainer to stars such as Beyonce, Destiny’s Child, Solange, and Ray-J, Mario and Mariah Carey. Tom is the unparalleled vocal trainer at Matthew Knowles’ management company World Music Sanctuary.
In 2009, Katrena Rene received the Songwriter of the Year Award in addition to being named vocalist of the month in the Songwriter Universe monthly competition. She ventured to New York to take her place as a finalist for the Urban Music Awards top 100 artists. She was chosen as a top 100 artist out of 10,000 other artists. Katrena Rene also celebrates the kick off of her new website, www.katrenarene.com which features photos, blogs, live performances, and much, much more.
“People are starting to miss that classic R&B sound. I want my generation to experience the R&B that our parents were raised on but with a fresh new sound. My reason for staying in this industry is that I love music, and I love business. I eat, sleep, and breathe music. Weather 10 people are listening or 10 million people are listening, I will be happy to just share the passion that keeps me going everyday. There are millions of talented singers out there. I keep in mind that I have to stay humble and on top of my game for that reason. What sets me apart from the “millions of talented singers” is my love for the industry, my strong belief in my unique talents, and my never-ending determination to live my dreams.”