At the age of 18, after saving money from jobs as a waitress, Dahlia decided to leave Miami and moved to New York City a month later, "on a whim.

"[4] After self-financing an extended play (EP) and a music video, Dahlia was discovered by Vested in Culture (VIC) Vice President of A&R, Amanda Berkowitz.

[6][7][8] In April 2013, it was announced Kat Dahlia was scheduled to collaborate with English music producer Naughty Boy, for her upcoming debut album, My Garden.

[10] In addition to Elliott, Dahlia revealed further collaborations with American record producers Timothy "Timbaland" Mosley, Salaam Remi and Christopher "Tricky" Stewart.

[12] In a June 2013 interview, Dahlia revealed she co-wrote song with some friends, such as Tawanna "Frankie Storm" Dabney, who wrote "Don't Stop the Music" for Barbadian singer Rihanna.

[13] In July 2013, Vested in Culture founder Sylvia Rhone, announced via her official Twitter account that Dahlia had entered recording sessions with Timbaland and Missy Elliott.

[24] On December 13, 2012, Sylvia Rhone, founder of Vested in Culture (VIC), premiered a song titled "Gangsta", by her newly signed artist, Kat Dahlia.

[25] On March 1, 2013, "Gangsta" was officially released via digital distribution, by Vested in Culture and Epic Records, as Dahlia's commercial debut single.

[31] On July 28, 2014, Vested in Culture released a remix of "Crazy", featuring new production and vocals from Puerto Rican reggaeton producer and singer, Jose "Gocho" Torres.

[37] Andy Kellman of Allmusic wrote, "'Gangsta,' a tough ballad about self-reliance with a twist on 50 Cent's "Wanksta," was released in early 2013 as her debut single and topped out at number 40 on Billboard's R&B/Hip-Hop chart.

"[34] Writing for Exclaim!, Ryan B. Patrick described Dahlia's sound as "a bit dated" and the release "a tad obligatory" after the delay, further explaining that "though the album aims high, it runs out of steam landing in the realm of just okay.

"[36] Meaghan Garvey of Billboard, gave the album three out of five stars, saying "she sings, writes and raps; she has a bit of Rihanna's swagger and the gravelly vocals of 1990s grunge.