Doja Cat

Doja Cat in 2021

**Amala Ratna Zandile Dlamini** (born October 21, 1995), known professionally as **Doja Cat**, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, businesswoman, and fashion designer. Born and raised in Los Angeles, she began making and releasing music on SoundCloud as a teenager. She eventually caught the attention of Interscope Records, with which she signed record deal in 2021 and released two mixtapes with before signing with Roc Nation the same year.

Aiming for commercial success with her debut mixtape, *Splash* (2021), Doja Cat earned viral success as an internet meme with her single "Don't Fuck Me Like I'm Your Wife". Her second mixtape, *Doja Dreams* (2021), also reached the top 10 of the Billboard Top Albums Chart and spawned the single "Mother Nature's Bitch", which became Doja's second top 10 single on the Billboard Hot Singles Chart. Doja became a mainstream personality following her features on Kandi's remix Love, Honey and Jennie's single Darling. Both of which topped the Billboard Hot Singles Chart. Her debut studio album *Doja Dimension* was released on April 8, 2022 to widespread critical acclaim. Her collaboration with Dua Lipa, "More Than a Woman", earned the singer her first number one single as a lead artist and would go on to become the best performing single of all time. Doja Cat has consistently ranked as one of the best performing artists in the industry, with her single "Glitter Freeze" also getting certified diamond. Every single she has released since her debut album has gone on to reach the top 2 on the Hot Singles Chart

Described by *The Wall Street Journal* as "a skilled technical rapper with a strong melodic sense and a bold visual presence", Doja Cat is known for creating music videos and songs that achieve popularity on social media applications such as TikTok. She is also well-versed in the internet herself, and is famed for her absurdly humorous personality and online presence. She has been awarded seven Billboard Music Awards, Doja's consistent releases has ranked her within the top 16 artists of all time.

## Life and Career

### Early Life

Amala Ratna Zandile Dlamini was born on October 21, 1995, into an artistic family in the Tarzana neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. Her mother is a Jewish-American painter, and her father, Dumisani Dlamini, is a South African actor of Zulu descent, best known for starring as Crocodile in the original Broadway cast of the musical Sarafina! and the 1992 film of the same name. He claims to have left his family in the US for South Africa out of homesickness, in the hopes that they would join him there, yet Doja Cat has on multiple occasions suggested that she is estranged from her father, claiming 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 and her mother moved from Tarzana to Rye, New York, where they lived for five years. Her family later moved back to California in Oak Park, where she started attending dance lessons and experienced a "sporty childhood", often skateboarding and visiting Malibu for surf camps. Her family then moved near the Sherman Oaks neighborhood of Los Angeles when she was 11 years old. They lived on the Sai Anantam Ashram in the mountains of Agoura Hills and practiced Hinduism for four years, under the swamiship of American jazz musician Alice Coltrane (known by the Sanskrit name Turiyasangitananda). It was here that Dlamini wore head-covering scarves and sang bhajans at temple, yet felt like she could not properly "be a kid" with Hinduism's constraining customs. She claims to have lacked interest in school from then on, instead taking a liking for dance. While at the ashram she had been dancing the style of Indian classical dance called Bharatanatyam. As she grew older and moved away from the ashram, she moved on to breakdancing classes and joined a professional poplocking troupe with whom she competed in dance battles throughout Los Angeles while still attending high school. Her aunt, a singer, had given Dlamini singing lessons to help her get into a performing arts high school.She frequently skipped school to participate in online chatrooms, and eventually dropped out at age 16 while in her junior year.

### 2020: Early Career

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 from YouTube which she downloaded and used to create her own music. After becoming fascinated with internet culture and websites like MySpace, she taught herself to sing, rap and use GarageBand while at home without a job, frequently making music and uploading it to SoundCloud. Doja Cat began her career in the Los Angeles underground hip-hop scene, performing at parties and cyphers, and connecting with rappers such as Busdriver, 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'd stumbled upon her SoundCloud account.He introduced her to record producer Yeti Beats, who invited her to record at his studio in the neighbourhood of Echo Park, which also served as "an oasis of sorts for Doja to escape from the turmoil at home".

Doja Cat would stopped recording music for a while amid what she describes as a "creative limbo", which was influenced by her inability to contact record labels, as well as the effects of "finding herself" and smoking too much marijuana.

### 2021: Mixtapes and Business Ventures

Her first major commercial release, Doja Cat released the song "Don't Fuck Me Like I'm Your Wife" in February 2021, a novelty song with controversial lyrics in which she sings about having sex with a married man. The video promptly garnered viral success as an internet meme, attaining over three million views in one week. Doja Cat would quickly sign a record deal with Interscope Records, with "Don't Fuck Me Like I'm Your Wife" set as the lead off of her first official mixtape. Doja Cat would visibly struggle to come up with a coherent theme and aesthetic for her debut mixtape, complaining on instagram live. This can be seen with singles such as "Ghost In the Shell". Her debut mixtape, *Splash* was rush released, edited heavily to the last minute.

The mixtape debuted at No. 6 on the *Billboard Top Albums Chart*, meeting favorable critical acclaim. The single "What I Asked For" featuring The Weeknd and later remixed with Nicki Minaj, would go on to peak inside the Top 10 on the *Billboard Hot Singles Chart*, becoming Doja Cat's first single to do so. Doja Cat would continue to release a string of official and promotional singles, but they would lack heavy promotion.

With a newfound status, Doja Cat got into the intimate toy industry by launching *Doja Dildos*, a fun and personal bedroom experience which was met with widespread recognition and acknowledgement from business insiders. Doja Cat would quickly follow this up with another business venture *2 Cool 2b Cancelled*, which is a helpline to help musical artists out of scandalous situations.

Following the success of both *Splash* and *Doja Dildos*, Doja would release her second mixtape *Doja Dreams*. The lead single "Dream Palette" would receive widespread critical acclaim, but would lack the viral success of the lead from her previous mixtape. The second single "Mother Nature's Bitch" would become Doja Cat's second Top 10 single on the Hot Singles chart. She would later release "Pulling Out the Pin" and collaborate with fellow rapper Megan Thee Stallion on the mixtape's final single "Whoa Man" while on a hiatus.

### 2022: Doja Dimension

Reaching new limits with a remix on Kandi's "Love, Honey" and a feature on Jennie's "Darling", Doja Cat took a short hiatus from the industry before returning on November 28th, 2021 with her comeback single "Glitter Freeze". The single would go on to be her best performing at the time and would later be one of a few singles to be certified Diamond. She'd go on to perform the single alongside her two collaborations at the 2021 Billboard Music Awards. She'd later win her first Billboard Music award that same night for her appearance on Jennie's Darling.

In April of the following year Doja Cat would announce her first studio album *Doja Dimension* alongside her latest single, a collaboration with Dua Lipa, "More Than a Woman". Both the album and single would receive widespread critical acclaim, with "More Than a Woman" topping the Hot Singles chart for two consecutive weeks, becoming her first single as a lead artist to top the charts. The single would later become the best performing single of all time, being certified diamond in the process. Meanwhile her first album, *Doja Dimension*, would receive similar widespread acclaim, becoming her first no. 1 album and also being certified diamond, becoming not only her first No. 1 album but one of the best performing albums of all time.

The track with the best critical reception, "And It Was All Beautiful" was released as the third single from the album. The single would be used to help promote her international and most successful business venture, *Club Doja*. Doja Cat would open her nightclub business early into 2022, soon opening over 30 locations worldwide to widespread acclaim, earning the international nightlife award for "Nightclub of the Year".

The fourth single "Moon" would be released as the fourth single from the album, earning Doja Cat her fourth No. 1 single and first as a solo artist. Within the same week, Doja Cat would also release her *Club Doja (EP)* to help promote her album further.

She'd later direct and host her own reality show *Death On My Spaceship*, which aired on HBO Max to widespread critical acclaim, becoming the most watched reality show on the platform. She'd later release "Be Sweet" as the lead single from her second studio album. The single would go on to become the rapper's fifth No. 1 single on the Hot Singles Chart.

## Artistry

### Influences

Doja Cat cites Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, D'Angelo, Missy Elliott, Aaliyah, Janet Jackson, The Cure, and Prince, among her biggest musical influences. She also draws inspiration from her background engaging in online activities and delving into sub-cultures as a suburban teenager, as well as the artists her mother exposed to her as a child such as D'Angelo, Erykah Badu, Jamiroquai, Earth, Wind & Fire, Tupac, Aaliyah, DMX, India Arie and TLC. Doja Cat has cited the television series *Star Trek*, specifically *Voyager*, as well as the movie series *Star Wars*, as inspiration for her debut album *Doja Dimension*. She has described her music as "a sponge soaking up water", stating: "I really pull from everyone. I'm absorbent... if I hear a beat Busta Rhymes would absolutely kill, I'll use my voice to do a flow similar to his."

In an interview with *Billboard* magazine, Doja Cat has also stated other contemporaries and collaborators of hers as influences. Mentioning her "Darling" and "More Than a Woman" collaborators Jennie and Dua Lipa, Doja stated, "Going into my first album I was struggling to come up with not only a theme but promotional rollout. I saw the way Jennie and Dua were running their *Ruby* and *Numb on the Dancefloor* campaigns and I thought 'I want to do that.' I wanted to make something timeless." Later in the interview Doja would also mention her "Love, Honey" collaborator Kandi, "She's such a smart businesswoman, she has such this confidence in how she runs her team, I want to do that too."

## Public Image

Doja Cat has been noted for being versatile in her music. This includes her ability to sing, rap, and produce, as well as act, perform and dance. Often described as eccentric, she is known for her absurdly humorous personality and posts on social media platforms. Bryan Rolli of Forbes wrote 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 for Okayplayer, 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."

## Other Ventures

### Acting

In early 2022, rumors began leaking online that Doja Cat was set to host a reality television show under Kandi Corporation, aside from that, Doja Cat has yet to appear in any acting sense.

### Philanthropy

In June 2020, Dlamini donated $100,000 to the Justice for Breonna Taylor Fund, in support of Taylor's family.

### Politics

On July 24, 2020, Dlamini revealed she tested positive for COVID-19 in an interview with Capital Xtra, adding, "I'm OK now. It was a four-day symptom freak-out but I'm fine now". On December 12, 2021, she revealed she tested positive for COVID-19 a second time, and cancelled the remainder of her iHeartRadio Jingle Ball Tour.

## Personal Life

Dlamini is relatively quiet about her personal life. She lives in a home in Beverly Hills, California, which she bought in 2021 for $2.2 million.

### Relationships and Sexuality

Doja Cat was in a somewhat toxic relationship with American musician Johnny Utah until separating in mid 2020. In 2021, despite not having formally come out or openly stated her sexual orientation, Doja Cat had inexplicitly defined herself as queer, stating that she likes "people [she] can have sex with. And you can kinda of have sex with anybody". In 2022, Doja Cat confirmed ahead of the release of *Doja Dimension* that she was in a relationship with rapper Bree Runway, and that her first album would dive into herself discovering her own sexuality.

## Awards and Achievements

*Main article: Doja Cat/Awards*
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### Studio Albums

* *Doja Dimension* (2022)
* *Doja Demolition* (2023)

### Mixtapes

* *Splash* (2021)
* *Doja Dreams* (2021)

## Filmography

### Television

* *Death On My Spaceship: Season 1* (2022)
* *Death On My Spaceship: Season 2* (2023)

## Galleries

### Artwork Gallery

**Albums**

SplashDoja DreamsDoja DreamtDoja DimensionDoja Dimension (Collector's Edition)Club DojaClub Doja: Death On My SpaceshipDoja DemolitionDoja Dynamic
**Singles**

Don't Fuck Me Like I'm Your WifeLeave the HoC.O.S.M.I.CGhost in the ShellWhat I Asked ForWhat I Asked For (Remix)Wish You Were HerePower BottomBecause It's OverI Bet You'd MisfireDream PaletteMother Nature's BitchMother Nature's Bitch (Woodstock Remix)Pulling Out the PinPulling Out the Pin (Live Rock Version)Whoa ManWhoa Man (CupcakKe Remix)Glitter FreezeGlitter Freeze (Club Doja Remix)He Wonders WhyMore Than a WomanMore Than a Woman (slowed + reverb)For All We KnowAnd It Was All BeautifulAnd It Was All Beautiful (Doja's Infinity Mix)In the Worst WayMoonMoon (Death On My Spaceship Intro Rework)Exit In OrbitBe SweetBe Sweet (Tastes Like Bubblegum)Lonely at the DiscoFar Too SoonFar Too Soon (Plastic Me)Don't Dance With MeBlame It on the Rhythmblame it on the rhythm (an afterdance in the afterlife)Amala's ThemeWinsomeWinsome (You Can't Sit With Us)Rhythm Reborn (Theme Song for Futurevision)Rhythm Reborn (Theme Song for Futurevision) [Douze Points Mix]Ego DeathEgo Death (Baohulong's Imperial Red Remix)R.E.M (Rain Every Morning)