Walking into the burlesque-inspired nightspot The Box on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, you’re automatically whisked into altogether different, far more glamorous era. A ‘20s vaudeville show would be perfectly at home on the venue’s stage, but on March 18, 2008, Kat DeLuna was in the house. The dominicana was celebrating her first-ever cover story with her Latina family and friends, and after arriving in a glitzy Pucci dress and posing next to herself--enshrined in a blowup of our April 2008 issue (on newsstands now)--DeLuna headed straight for the stage and made the party hot.

Just before the performance kicked into gear, Latina’s Editor-in-Chief, Mimi Valdés Ryan, gave DeLuna a heartfelt intro by comparing her to other young singers she’d anointed with their first national magazine covers, like Ciara and Keyshia Cole. But then, it was the budding star’s time to shine. As celebs like Busta Rhymes, top model Jaslene Gonzalez and BET’s “106 and Park” host Rocsi looked on, DeLuna worked the crowd and led a full live band and backup singers through highlights from her debut album, Nine Lives, including “Run the Show,” “Am I Dreaming” and “In the End.” Of course, she didn’t deny the chance to hear her megahit single, “Whine Up,” and it was extra refreshing to hear her and the band give it a rocked out twist. It’ll take a lot of sweat and tears to match the stardom of Alicia and RiRi, but when those curtains swept open, Kat DeLuna showed and proved that she’s more than ready to run the show.

Click on the video below for a live performance by Kat DeLuna from last night's party!