Kat Dahlia: Flowers and Flaws
Kat Dahlia’s music has been with me through cities, heartbreaks, and mood swings — here’s a look back at her raw, underrated, and ever-evolving discography.
I first discovered Kat Dahlia when I was living in London. There was a tiny feature about her in Dazed or something similar, with just enough intrigue to make me search the web. I remember hearing “Gangsta” and “Mirror” for the first time — her voice was raw, almost rasping, and the lyrics cut straight through. She was still up and coming, and I was getting ready to leave the UK and move back to Poland. It was hot outside, I was packing in slow motion and a little tear in my eye, and I had her early singles on repeat. That summer had a soundtrack, and it sounded like her.
Shades of Gray: Kat Dahlia
Shades of Gray (2012)
listen/download link
Her first full-length project, Shades of Gray, came out in 2012 — a debut so good it doesn’t sound like one. I didn’t dive into it immediately but discovered it a bit later, and in a way, I grew up alongside it. The album is rough around the edges, both sonically and emotionally. It speaks to the mess of your early 20s — heartbreaks, self-doubt, pushing back against expectations. Lyrically, it’s razor-sharp. There’s no sugarcoating, just truth in every verse. It’s the kind of record that sits with you in the dark and helps you feel seen.
Seeds: Kat Dahlia
Seeds (2013)
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In 2013, she dropped Seeds, a six-track mixtape that went a little under the radar but hit hard if you were paying attention. It’s dark, gritty, and full of the intensity Kat does best.
My personal favorites:
– Game of Life — heavy and hypnotic, like a slow walk through the bad part of your own brain.
– The High — both literal and emotional, it floats and crashes all at once.
– Fucking Trust — maybe one of her most underrated tracks, with lyrics that cut deep.
My Garden: Kat Dahlia
My Garden (2015)
Then came My Garden in 2015 — her most polished studio album to date. Let’s get this out of the way: the cover art is, well… not great. But what’s inside? Solid gold. Every track holds its weight.
Standouts for me are:
My Garden — lush, a little eerie, a lot honest.
Walk on Water — catchy but grounded.
Just Another Dude — painfully real.
Bilingual Phase & EPs
After My Garden, Kat started releasing more Spanish-language singles and tapped into a whole new energy. I’m Doin’ Good was a standout — empowering, confident, a little cocky (in the best way). Her 20s, 50s, 100s EP also gave us gems like:
– Friday Night Majic — smooth and sultry.
– Body and Soul — perfect late-night soundtrack.
– Hold On — vulnerable but grounded.
This phase of her music leaned more into rhythm and groove, while still keeping that lyrical rawness that makes her unique.
Seeds: Kat Dahlia
Elektrika (2024)
Which brings us to Elektrika, released this year — and what a switch-up. The darker moods are still there in parts, but this album moves. It’s upbeat, energetic, and fun in a way that feels like freedom.
Songs like:
Futuro Amor
Elektrika
make me want to work out, dance, or just move through the day with a little more confidence. It’s a joy to hear her in this lane — still herself, but lighter, looser, louder.
This album feels like sitting in an overgrown garden: some moments bloom with beauty, others are tangled and thorny. And that’s what makes it work. It’s her at her most controlled, but still with bite.
The whole tape feels like a confession booth in a neon-lit motel. You can tell she was writing from a place that wasn’t polished yet, but that’s exactly what made it so good.
Kat Dahlia has never played the industry game the usual way. Her discography is scattered across albums, mixtapes, singles in two languages, and lots of emotional ground. But that’s what makes following her journey so rewarding — she’s constantly shifting, but always real. Whether she’s singing about trust issues, spiritual confusion, lust, loneliness, or pure joy, you feel like she means every word.
If you haven’t explored her catalogue, start anywhere. Just know: you’re not getting a product — you’re getting a person. And that’s rare.
