Doja Cat

Amala Ratna Zandile Dlamini(Zulu:[ˈzandileˈɮamini]; born October 21, 1995), known professionally asDoja Cat(/ˈdoʊdʒə/), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. Born and raised inLos Angeles,California, she began making and releasing music onSoundCloudas a teenager. Her song "So High" caught the attention ofKemosabeandRCA Records, with whom she signed arecording contractprior to the release of her debut extended play,Purrr!in 2014.
After a hiatus from releasing music and the uneventful rollout of her debut studio album,Amala(2018), Doja Cat earnedviral successas aninternet memewith her 2018 single "Mooo!", anovelty songin which she makes humorous claims about being a cow. Capitalizing on her growing popularity, she released her second studio album,Hot Pink, in the following year. The album later reached the top ten of the USBillboard200and spawned the single "Say So"; its remix featuringNicki Minajtopped theBillboardHot 100. Her third studio album,Planet Her(2021), spent four weeks at number two on theBillboard200 and spawned the top ten singles "Kiss Me More" (featuringSZA), "Need to Know", and "Woman". Her fourth studio album,Scarlet(2023), adopted ahip-hop-oriented sound and peaked within the top five of theBillboard200, while its lead single "Paint the Town Red" became her most successful song to date, as it marked her first solo number-one on the Hot 100 among eight other countries.
Described byThe Wall Street Journalas "a skilled technical rapper with a strong melodic sense and a bold visual presence",Doja Cat is known for creating videos and performances which achieve virality onsocial mediaplatforms such asTikTok. Well-versed in Internet culture, she is also famed for herabsurdistonline personality and stage presence.Shehas received numerous accoladesthroughout her career, including oneGrammy Awardfrom sixteen nominations, fiveBillboardMusic Awards, fiveAmerican Music Awards, and fiveMTV Video Music Awards. She is one of the biggest commercial artists of the 2020s according toBillboard,and was included on the100 most influential people in the worldbyTimein 2023.
Amala Ratna Zandile Dlaminiwas born on October 21, 1995,in theTarzananeighborhood ofLos Angeles,California.Her mother, Deborah Sawyer, is an American graphic designer of Jewish heritage,and her father,Dumisani Dlamini, is a South African performer ofZuludescent,best known for starring as Crocodile in the originalBroadwaycast of the musicalSarafina!and the1992 film adaptation.The two had a brief relationship after meeting in New York City where Dumisani performed on Broadway, but he was too busy on tour to spend time with Amala and her brother.He said that he left his family in the US for South Africa out of homesickness, in the hopes that they would join him there,yet Dlamini has suggested on multiple occasions that she is estranged from her father, stating that she "never met him."Her father has denied these claims, claiming that he has a "healthy" relationship with his daughter and that her management team had tried to block all his attempts to contact her out of the fear that they "might lose her."
Soon after her birth, Dlamini moved from Tarzana toRye, New York, where she lived for five years with her maternal grandmother, an architect and painter.At the age of eight, Dlamini returned to California with her mother and brother to live at the Sai Anantam Ashram, a commune inAgoura Hills,and practiced Hinduism for four years.While living at the commune, Dlamini started wearing head-covering scarves and singingbhajansat temple,yet disclosed how she felt like she could not "be a kid" during her time there.
Her family then moved toOak Park,where she started attending dance lessons and experienced a "sporty childhood", often skateboarding and visitingMalibufor surf camps.Dlamini and her brother were also subjected to racial prejudice as some of the only mixed-race children in the area.
As she grew older and moved away from the ashram, she attendedbreakdancingclasses and joined a professionalpoplockingtroupe, with whom she competed in dance battles throughout Los Angeles while still attending high school.Her aunt, a vocal coach, had given Dlamini singing lessons to help her audition forCentral Los Angeles Area New High School #9, a performing arts high school in Los Angeles.She frequently skipped school to participate in online chatrooms.After becoming discouraged about her education and career path, Dlamini claims that she realized in eleventh grade that "performing and music was all [she] ever cared about."She eventually dropped out at age 16 while in her junior year,attributing this decision to her struggles withattention deficit hyperactivity disorder(ADHD), saying that "it felt like I was stuck in one spot and everybody else was progressing constantly."
Doja Cat has described life after dropping out of school as "messy", claiming that she slept on the floor and spent "all night and day" browsing the internet, looking for beats and instrumentals fromYouTubewhich she downloaded and used to create her own music.After becoming fascinated withinternet cultureand websites likeeBaum's WorldandMyspace,she taught herself to sing, rap and useGarageBandwhile at home without a job, frequently making music and uploading it toSoundCloud.In late 2012, "So High" became the first permanent upload on her SoundCloud account.Doja Cat began her career in the Los Angelesunderground hip-hopscene, performing at parties and cyphers, and connecting with rappers such asBusdriver, Ill Camille and VerBS, the latter of whom claims to have helped hone her craft and find her first gig.It was during this time that she met producer Jerry "Tizhimself" Powell, who had stumbled upon her SoundCloud account.He introduced her to record producerYeti Beats,who invited her to record at his studio in the neighbourhood ofEcho Park, which also served as "an oasis of sorts for Doja to escape from the turmoil at home".Yeti Beats then connected her withKemosabe Records, an imprint ofRCA Records, where she signed under label executiveDr. Lukeand his publishing companyPrescription Songsat the age of 17.This deal also came with a temporary artist management partnership withRoc Nation.
In August 2014, Doja Cat released her debut EP,Purrr!, described as "spacey, eastern-influenced R&B" byThe Fader."So High" was repackaged and released as her solo commercial debut single prior to the EP's release,and was later featured on theFoxseriesEmpirein the third episode of the show's first season.In mid-2015, Doja Cat temporarily signed toOG Maco's label, OGG.Following the signing, in late 2016, Maco and Doja Cat collaborated on the song "Monster", from Maco's 2017 mixtape,Children of The Rage.She had started  experiencingwriter's block, which led her to decline American singerBillie Eilish's offer to feature on what would later become her popular 2017 single "Bellyache".Doja Cat would stop releasing music for a while amid what she describes as a "creative limbo", which was influenced by her record labels not paying her much attention, as well as the effects of "finding herself" and smoking too muchmarijuana.
Her first major commercial release in four years, Doja Cat released the song "Roll with Us" in February 2018 following a brief hiatus.The following month, she released "Go to Town" as the lead single from her debut album, with an accompanying music video."Candy" was released as the album's second single that same month.The track would later become asleeper hitafter a "dance challenge" on the video-sharing platformTikTokwentviralin late 2019.The single consequently charted in countries such as Australia, Canada and the United States, with the latter having the song peak at 86 on theBillboardHot 100, making this her first solo entry on the chart.
On March 30, 2018, Doja Cat's debut studio albumAmalawas released through RCA and Kemosabe Records, and included the three singles.Its release was largely uneventful,as it was ignored by critics and failed to chart in any market.Doja Cat has since expressed strong disdain toward the record, claiming that it doesn't entirely represent her as an artist and that it isn't a "finished album" since she was constantly partying or high on marijuana during its recording.She claims it was also rushed in order to meet deadlines from the record labels who paid it "almost no support".
In August 2018, Doja Catself-publishedthe homemade music video for "Mooo!", anovelty songwith absurdist lyrics in which she fantasizes about being acow.The video promptly garneredviral successas aninternet meme, attaining over three million views in one week.Due to popular demand following this viral success, the single version of "Mooo!" was released ontodigital platformslater that month as the lead single from the deluxe edition ofAmala.This was followed by the release of the second single, "Tia Tamera" featuringRico Nasty, and its accompanying music video in February 2019.The full deluxe edition ofAmalawas released on March 1, 2019, and featured the bonus tracks "Mooo!", "Tia Tamera" and "Juicy".The success of "Mooo!" is believed to have "irrefutably proved" to her record labels that Doja Cat was a marketable artist, which led them to start paying more attention to her.
A remix version of Doja Cat's song "Juicy", from the deluxe version ofAmala, added a verse from American rapperTygaand was released alongside a music video in August 2019 as the lead single from her second studio album.Following the release of the remix, the song debuted at number 83 on theBillboardHot 100, marking Doja Cat's first entry on the chart, and ultimately peaked at number 41.TheRecording Industry Association of America(RIAA) would later award the song aplatinumcertification in the United States.The song's success led toAmaladebuting for the first time on theBillboard200 chart that same month.In October 2019, Doja Cat released "Bottom Bitch", the second single from her second album.This was followed by the release of the single "Rules" alongside the announcement of her second studio albumHot Pink.Hot Pinkwas released on November 7, 2019, to generally favorable reviews. The album would eventually peak at number 9 on theBillboard200.Doja Cat was meant to feature on a track titled "Broward Coward" from an early version of the lateXXXTentacion's fourth studio album,Bad Vibes Forever,however the song was ultimately scrapped when the album tracklist was completely revised for its posthumous release in December 2019.She later released the single "Boss Bitch" as part ofthe soundtrackfor the 2020 filmBirds of Prey.
In January 2020, "Say So" was sent to radio to become the fourth single off of her albumHot Pink.The song was originally released alongside the album in November 2019, but gained wider popularity through the video-sharing platformTikTok.She performed the song onThe Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallonin February 2020.The next day, she released the music video for the song, directed byHannah Lux Davis.The solo version of "Say So" peaked at number five on the Hot 100, becoming her first top-ten single,and was the most streamed song of 2020 by a female artist in the United States.In May 2020, following the release ofa remixof "Say So" featuringNicki Minaj, the single topped theBillboardHot 100, becoming the first number-one single for both artists and the first ever female rap collaboration to peak atop the chart.
In March 2020, Doja Cat was set to embark on theHot PinkTour in support of the album, before it was postponed due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.She was featured on a remix ofthe Weeknd's single "In Your Eyes" in May 2020,as well as on the single "Shimmy" by rapperLil Waynefrom the deluxe version of his 2020 albumFuneral.In June, she was featured on the single "Pussy Talk" by the rap duoCity Girls.She released the music video for her single "Like That".She also uploaded thedemo song"Unisex Freestyle" toSoundCloudin late June 2020.At the20th BET Awards, Doja Cat was nominated for two awards,Best Female Hip Hop ArtistandVideo of the Year.In August 2020, her song "Freak", which had been on SoundCloud since 2018, was officially released on digital platforms.
Doja Cat won the award forPush Best New Artistat the2020 MTV Video Music Awards, where she also performed a medley of the songs "Say So" and "Like That".She was credited as a lead artist onthe remixforChloe x Halle's song "Do It", which also featuredCity GirlsandMulatto, the following month. She was featured alongside Australian singerSiaon the track "Del Mar" from Puerto Rican singerOzuna's 2020 albumEnoc, also released in September.The "Juicy" remix featuring Tyga was nominated for Top R&B Song at the2020BillboardMusic Awards.In October 2020, Doja Cat was featured on American singerBebe Rexha's single "Baby, I'm Jealous", the lead single from Rexha's second studio album,Better Mistakes.She performed aburlesque-themedmedleyof "Juicy", "Say So" and "Like That" at the 2020BillboardMusic Awards, inspired byChicagoandMoulin Rouge.That same month, Doja Cat performed both "Baby, I'm Jealous" with Rexha and "Del Mar" with Ozuna onThe Tonight Show Starring Jimmy FallonandJimmy Kimmel Live!, respectively.Doja Cat was featured on the album track "Motive" fromAriana Grande's 2020 albumPositions,which peaked at number 32 on theBillboardHot 100, becoming both her highest debut and second-ever top 40 entry.
Doja Cat performed ametalrendition of "Say So" at the2020 MTV Europe Music Awardsceremony, where she also won the award forBest New Act.She won the award for The New Artist of 2020 at the46th People's Choice Awards.She additionally won bothNew Artist of the YearandFavourite Soul/R&B Female Artistat the2020 American Music Awardsceremony, where she performed "Baby, I'm Jealous" with Bebe Rexha.On December 24, 2020, Doja Cat released a series of videos on her YouTube channel named "Hot Pink Sessions" where she performed three songs twice with two different "looks".On December 31, 2020, Doja Cat performed "Say So", "Like That", and "Juicy" at the annualDick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eveshow.
According to sales in the United States,Billboardranked Doja Cat at number five on both the Top New Artists of 2020 and Top Female Artists of 2020 charts.After her on-demand audio streams in the U.S. increased by 300% from 2019,Rolling Stoneranked her at number one on their list of the ten biggest breakthrough artists of 2020.Forbesnamed Doja Cat "one of the top breakout stars of 2020" while including her on their annual30 Under 30list.Doja Cat was the fourth most-Googledmusician of 2020 in the United States.
On January 7, 2021, Doja Cat was featured on the single "Best Friend" by rapperSaweetie, and appeared in the accompanying music video.The following week, Doja Cat appeared alongsideMegan Thee Stallionon the remix of "34+35" byAriana Grande.Following the release of the remix, the song reached a new peak of number two on theBillboardHot 100.In early 2021, Doja's song "Streets" became a sleeper hit after live performances of the song went viral onTikTok.TikTok also spawned a viral challenge which uses a mashup of "Streets" and "Put Your Head on My Shoulder" byPaul Anka.This caused the song to enter theBillboardHot 100, where it peaked at number 16.Doja Cat was nominated for three awards at the63rd Annual Grammy Awards: herself forBest New Artistand "Say So" being nominated forRecord of the YearandBest Pop Solo Performance.In 2021, she was placed on "Time's 100 Next" list, which highlights 100 emerging figures, with her write-up being penned by American rapperLil Nas X.
Doja Cat revealed the title of her third studio album,Planet Her, in a March 2021 interview withV.On April 10, the song "Kiss Me More" featuringSZAwas released alongside a music video as the lead single for the album.It received critical acclaim,and commercial success, spending nineteen consecutive weeks within the top 10 of theBillboardHot 100, breaking the record for the most weeks in the top 10 by a female collaboration.The song peaked at number three and became Doja Cat's third top 10 hit.Later that month, Doja Cat performed the songs "Best Friend" with Saweetie, "Rules", "Streets" and a solo version of "Kiss Me More" atTriller'sinaugural Fight Club event.On April 23, 2021, Doja Cat launched anNFTmarketplace titled "Juicy Drops".In May 2021, Doja Cat won the award for Top Female R&B Artist at the2021BillboardMusic Awards,where she performed "Kiss Me More" with SZA.Later that month, she performed a solo version of the same song in a medley with "Streets" and "Say So" at the2021 iHeartRadio Music Awards, where she won the award for Best New Pop Artist.
The song "Need to Know" was released alongside a music video as the firstpromotional singlefromPlanet Heron June 11, 2021.Doja Cat wrote that it was released in anticipation of the "more important" second single,which was confirmed to be "You Right" with the Weeknd.Doja Cat officially announced the release ofPlanet Herand revealed its tracklist andalbum artvia social media a few hours before the release of "Need to Know".The album was released to generally positive reviews,and opened at number two on theBillboard200 where it remained for another two weeks, becoming the first album to spend its first three weeks at number two on the chart sinceThe Pinkprint(2014) byNicki Minajin January 2015.Elsewhere, it topped the charts in New Zealand,and landed in the top 5 in countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, Norway and Ireland.
Doja Cat guest starred as the temporary romantic interest of American rapper and comedianLil Dickyin the second season of the TV seriesDave, which premiered on June 16, 2021.On September 10, she was announced as aPepsi ambassadorand starred in an advertisement in which she performs a modern reenactment of the song "You're the One That I Want" from the musical filmGrease, as part of a campaign celebrating the launch of the Pepsi-Cola Soda Shop.Her first-ever gig as a television presenter,Doja Cat hosted the2021 MTV Video Music Awardsceremony,where she also performed the songs "Been Like This" and "You Right".She won the awards forBest Collaboration(shared with SZA for "Kiss Me More") andBest Art Direction(shared with Saweetie for "Best Friend"), among nominations forArtist of the Year,Video of the YearandBest Visual Effects.It is the first time in history where a nominee in the Video of the Year category hosted the ceremony in that same year.Doja Cat was praised for her presenting abilities, withPitchforknoting that she "reinvent[ed] award-show hosting".
Doja Cat was featured on the song "Scoop" from Lil Nas X's debut studio albumMontero(2021), which was released on September 17,and then on the song "Icy Hot" from American rapperYoung Thug's second studio albumPunk(2021), which was released on October 15.That same month, she reached number one on theBillboardHot 100 Songwriters chart for the first time in her career,and also became the first rapper to place three top 10 songs on the USMainstream Top 40, with "You Right", "Need to Know" and "Kiss Me More".She featured alongside Saweetie onFrench Montana's song "Handstand" from his fourth studio albumThey Got Amnesia(2021).The music video forPlanet Her's fourth single, "Woman", was released on December 3.According toBillboard, Doja Cat closed 2021 as the bestselling female R&B and hip-hop artist in the US,and the fourth bestselling female artist overall,additionally placing six songs on the year-end Hot 100.Planet Herwas also the sixth best-selling album in the US,and the fifth most streamed album globally on Spotify in 2021.In 2022, Doja Cat won the awards for Female Rapper of the Year and Performer of the Year at the2022 XXL Awards.She received nominations for eight awards at the64th Annual Grammy Awards, the most for any female artist. "Kiss Me More" won the award forBest Pop Duo Performance, while her other nominations includedAlbum of the Year(Planet HerandMontero), Record of the Year ("Kiss Me More"),Song of the Year("Kiss Me More"),Best Pop Vocal Album(Planet Her),Best Rap Song("Best Friend") andBest Melodic Rap Performance("Need to Know").
In February 2022, Doja Cat released a cover of the song "Celebrity Skin" by American rock bandHole,as part of aTaco Bellcommercial in which she starred, and premiered it at theSuper Bowl LVI.The cover contains reworked lyrics written by Doja Cat and Hole frontwomanCourtney Love.Later that month, her second collaboration with Tyga, entitled "Freaky Deaky", was released as a single alongside a music video directed by Christian Breslauer.She contributed to the soundtrack forBaz Luhrmann's biographical filmElvis(2022) with the song "Vegas", released on May 6, 2022, as its lead single.In June 2022, the track "I Like You (A Happier Song)" byPost Malonefeaturing Doja Cat was released as the third single from the former's fourth studio album,Twelve Carat Toothache(2023).The track would later earn Doja Cat a nomination forBest Pop Duo/Group Performanceat the65th Annual Grammy Awards, where she also earned nominations forRecord of the Year("Woman"),Best Pop Solo Performance("Woman"),Best Music Video("Woman"), andBest Rap Performance("Vegas").Doja Cat was made the subject and namesake of the song "Doja" by British rapperCentral Cee, which was released in July 2022 and achieved global success, becoming the most streamed UK rap song onSpotify.
Doja Cat later began sharing her experiences ofcareer burnout,expressing her disdain for "unnecessary" obligations, while admitting that she was no longer enjoying her career.Doja Cat continued to publicise her frustrations during a South American festival tour in March 2022. After an incident involving Paraguayan fans, which followed a storm that prompted the cancellation of her scheduled show, she posted to Twitter: "Everything is dead to me, music is dead, and I'm a fucking fool for ever thinking I was made for this... This shit ain't for me so I'm out. Y'all take care."
In early 2023, Doja Cat began teasing her fourth studio album with the working title ofHellmouth.Prior to this, she had asserted that the album would be "predominantly rap", a callback to the musical style of her earliest works,and an effort to diverge from the "pink and soft things" and "pop and glittery sounds" that she has become noted for,notably denouncing her previous two albums as "cash grabs" and "digestible pop hits".She also adopted a darker aesthetic and appearance, which she described as "punk", "experimental" and "manic",while some fans deemed these changes "demonic",and accused her of being aSatanist,and a member of theIlluminati.In mid-June 2023, she released the album's first promotional single, titled "Attention", alongside an accompanying music video directed byTanu Muino.The album's lead single, "Paint the Town Red", was released in early August 2023 to commercial success, breaking a number of streaming records,and becoming her first solo song to top the charts in both the United States and the United Kingdom,among several other countries and theBillboardGlobal 200chart.The album's title was later revealed to beScarletin mid-August 2023.The second promotional single, "Demons", was released in early September 2023, alongside a music video directed byChristian Breslauerand co-starring American actressChristina Ricci.Scarletwas released to mostly positive reviews on September 22, 2023,and debuted within the top 5 in the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada. Doja Cat then embarked the opening North American leg of her first arena tour,The Scarlet Tour, featuring rappersDoechiiandIce Spiceas supporting acts.
A deluxe edition of the album,Scarlet 2 Claude, was released on April 5, 2024 and was named after the Claude Frollo character fromThe Hunchback of Notre Dame. The deluxe edition features collaborations from American rappersASAP RockyandTeezo Touchdown.
Doja Cat has citedNicki Minajas her biggest influence.In aBillboardinterview, Doja Cat stated that she is "in love with everything Nicki Minaj has put out into the world."On the song "Get Into It (Yuh)" from her third studio album,Planet Her(2021), she pays tribute to Minaj and borrows lyrics and rap delivery from her debut 2010 single "Massive Attack".Critics noted that the album as a whole was largely influenced by Minaj,withThe New Yorkernoting that she "build[s] upon the pop-rap legacy established by her predecessor".She has also namedLauryn HillandBusta Rhymesas some of her biggest influences.While speaking about Busta Rhymes, she stated: "if I hear a beat Busta Rhymes would absolutely kill, I'll use my voice to do aflowsimilar to his."
Additionally, Doja Cat has citedRihanna,Beyoncé,D'Angelo,Missy Elliott,Christina Aguilera,Pharrell Williams,andLil' Kimas major influences. She draws inspiration from her background engaging in online activities and delving intosubculturesas a suburban teenager,as well as the artists her mother exposed to her as a child, such asFugees,Erykah Badu,Jamiroquai,Earth, Wind & Fire,Black Eyed Peas,Seal,Tupac,Aaliyah,DMX,India Arie, andTLC.TheHindu cultureof her childhood as well asJapanese culturehave also been noted as sources of inspiration forPurrr!(2014) and other aspects of her early career.In an interview withBig Boy, she stated her admiration forJanet JacksonandPrince.
As a teenager in 2012, Doja Cat gained her stage name from one of her cats as well as her favoritestrainofmarijuana, stating, "I was heavily addicted to weed andweed culture, so when I began rapping I thought of the word 'doja' and how it sounds like a girl's name."She has since expressed slight disdain towards the name and the persona that it carries, stating in November 2021 that "my image was the potheadhippiegirl, and I'm not that."
Doja Cat's music has been described aship-hop,pop,R&B,andpop rap.When asked about her legacy, Doja Cat revealed that in future she would like to be remembered for her versatility in not only music but alsovisual artand dance.Her second full-length studio album,Hot Pink, is built with her own beats as well as a series of videos written and conceived by her.She claimed the era was a firm restart for her career, and the most "refined, chiseled" representation of herself. Her escapist fantasy worldview is reflected in the music by its upbeatproductionstyle.The record was inspired by drastic lifestyle changes including an "illuminating" acid trip which made her quit smoking cigarettes and marijuana.
Her 2021 song "Naked" contains atongue-in-cheeksexual reference that refers to bisexuality in that she "like[s] bananas and peaches",while her 2019 single "Bottom Bitch" can also be interpreted as a metaphor for lesbian sex.
Doja Cat is reported to be "eager to deflect interest in her personal life."She lived in a home inBeverly Hills, California, which she bought in 2021 for $2.2 millionand sold in September 2022 for $2.5 million.
She was in a brief open relationship with American musicianJawnyfrom August 2019 until separating in February 2020.Despite not having formally come out or openly stated hersexual orientation, Doja Cat has hinted atqueerthemes, stating that she likes "people [she] can have sex with. And you can kinda have sex with anybody."
In June 2020, Doja Cat donated $100,000 to the Justice forBreonna TaylorFund, in support of Taylor's family.
In January 2024, Doja Cat's mother Deborah Sawyer filed for a temporary restraining order against her older brother, Raman Dalithando Dlamini; who has allegedly been physically and verbally abusing both Doja Cat and their mother.Sawyer was previously granted a restraining order against her son back in 2017.
She is dating actorJoseph Quinnas of August 2024.
During an interview withBillboard, Doja Cat revealed that she washeavily addicted to alcoholas well aschain smokingwhen growing up and considers quitting cigarettes to be "one of the biggest challenges of [her] life."She hasamblyopia.
In May 2022, Doja Cat opened up about hernicotine addictiononTwitter, and revealed that she required lancing of an infectedtonsilcaused byvapingand intended to pursue atonsillectomy, consequently canceling her summer festival run and her opening act slot forthe Weeknd'sAfter Hours til Dawn Tour.
In 2018, Doja Cat sparked controversy onsocial mediawhen herTwitterhistory revealed a continuous usage of the word "faggot".In atweetfrom 2015, she used the word to describe hip-hop artistsTyler, the CreatorandEarl Sweatshirt.Doja Cat initially defended her past remarks but later issued a series of apologies for her words and has since deleted her tweets.As a result of the controversy, Doja Cat was declared theMilkshake Duckof 2018 byNME.In March 2020, she received backlash after saying onInstagramLive thatCOVID-19was "only a flu" and that she was not scared of it.Later that October, Doja Cat was criticized for participating inKendall Jenner's Halloween and birthday celebrations during theCOVID-19 pandemic.
In May 2020, a 2015 song by Doja Cat titled "Dindu Nuffin" resurfaced."Dindu Nuffin" is analt-rightterm used to ridiculeAfrican-Americandetainees protesting their innocence.After apologizing, Doja Cat said that although the song was intended to flip the term's meaning, it was a "bad decision".Doja Cat denied that the song was a response to thedeath of Sandra Bland, calling the allegation "one of the most awful rumors that I've ever encountered."She took to Instagram to address accusations after footage began circulating of her onTinychatin achat roomsaying "nigger".She apologized to those offended and said she should not have been on certain chat room sites, although she maintained that she had never been involved in any racist conversations.Frequent users of the chat room later came forth and revealed that the nature of the chatroom was not specifically racist, and claimed that Doja Cat never said anything discriminatory in their conversations.
Doja Cat's 2020 performance of "Say So" at theMTV Europe Music Awardsceremony was criticized when some viewers noted that the guitar solo in the performance was identical to the one inPlini's 2016 song "Handmade Cities".The following month, Plini reported that he received an apologetic message from Doja Cat through social media.
In March 2022, Doja Cat threatened to quit music due to the backlash from an incident that occurred during her time inParaguay.The artist was in Paraguay for the 2022Asunciónicofestival which was eventually canceled due to severe weather conditions.After the cancellation, fans reportedly gathered outside the hotel she was residing at in order to get a glimpse of Doja Cat.She did not come outside to meet with her fans and was consequently accused of being rude and apathetic. She did not post anything involving Paraguay on social media, leading fans to express frustration about her lack of acknowledgement.She was also accused of being more enthusiastic with fans from other countries such asBrazilcompared to her behavior with Paraguayan fans.Because of the backlash the artist released a series of tweets where she claimed she was not sorry and she would quit the music industry, she then changed herTwitterusername to "I Quit."The artist did not quit music or Twitter and returned two days later with tweets expressing appreciation towards her fans.
In July 2023, Doja Cat faced backlash forThreadscomments suggesting that she does not appreciate her fans, for which she lost over 250,000 followers on Instagram.
On October 6, 2023, Doja Cat posted a selfie of her wearing a t-shirt that featuresalt-rightcomedianSam Hydeon Instagram.The picture garnered widespread online backlash and she later deleted the photo, reposting a different selfie with Hyde's image edited out of the frame.
Doja Cat has been noted for being versatile in her music. This includes her ability to sing,rap, andproduce,as well as perform and dance.Often described aseccentric,she is known for herabsurdly humorouspersonality and posts on social media platforms.Bryan Rolli ofForbeswrote that "Doja Cat's aloof, irreverent, chronically online persona masks a tireless work ethic; she sings better, raps faster and dances harder than many of her peers, all at once."
In an article forOkayplayer, Robyn Mowatt noted that "as a singer, rapper, songwriter, and entertainer Doja has led her fans on a rambunctious journey equipped with snappy lyrics, live video streams, outlandish outfits, and memorable viral moments. It's not just the music that gets her fans riled up, it's also her live performances which typically are infused with a touch of eccentricity."
As one of the biggest and best-performing commercial artists of the 2020s decade, writers atBillboardexpressed that "it'd be tough to name three artists of any kind who feel more like the 2020s so far than Doja Cat."
Doja Cat has received many accolades throughout her career, including oneGrammy Award, fiveBillboardMusic Awards, fiveAmerican Music Awards(AMAs), fiveMTV Video Music Awards(VMAs), and sixiHeartRadio Music Awards(including four Titanium Awards for 1 BILLION total audience spins).
On January 27, 2024, Doja Cat's single "Paint the Town Red" was listed #1 in Australian radio station Triple J's (JJJ) listener poll for the annual Hottest 100 competition (100 most popular songs of 2023).