CANDYLAND (Album)

***CANDYLAND*** is an album by Doja Cat, released on November 15th, 2022, by Kemosabe Records and RCA Records. The album features a sugary-sweet theme, with track titles such as "Lollipop Love," "Marshmallow Dreams," and "Cotton Candy Clouds." The album also includes collaborations with popular artists such as The Weeknd, Khalid, and Bruno Mars the playful and whimsical track list, including songs like "Gummy Bear Groove" and "Bubblegum Bounce," creates a vivid and imaginative world of confectionery-inspired music.

## Background and recording

In December 2020, Doja Cat revealed to MTV that she was in the process of creating her album, aiming to blend bubblegum pop, hyper pop, and pop genres. By February 2021, she announced that the album was complete and ready for release the following year, though it was postponed for undisclosed reasons. Speaking to iHeartRadio in March 2021, she highlighted the album's numerous features and collaborations, noting that each song offers a unique vibe.

The album's creation was split between Los Angeles and Hawaii, with Doja Cat writing half of the tracks during a late October 2019 vacation with her manager and co-writer, Lydia Asrat. Over Instagram live streams in May and June 2021, she previewed tracks such as "Gummy Bear Groove," and "Lollipop Love," mentioning that "Gummy Bear Groove" would not be included due to a leak, however, it was made to the final tracklist.

In July 2021, shortly after confirming the album's title, Doja Cat expressed how "CANDYLAND" drew inspiration from artists like Charli XCX, Ashnikko, and Lady Gaga. She emphasized that the album represented her as an artist rather than adhering to a specific pop star persona. Before its release, Doja Cat conveyed her excitement about delving into "bubblegum pop" music and exploring diverse musical paths, ultimately describing the album as "unbelievable."

### Artwork

The album cover is characterized by an abundance of candy and flowers, a rainbow, and a surreal pink hue that dominates the scene.

In the foreground, there are three large rock candy structures covered in sparkling sugar crystals. A person made up of swirling patterns is seen dancing or jumping joyfully near the center of the image. Various types of candies including lollipops and cupcakes are scattered throughout the scene. Beautiful flowers, particularly large cosmos flowers with white petals and yellow centers, add to the fantastical nature of the landscape. In the sky, there’s a hot air balloon floating amidst fluffy clouds.

## Release and promotion

In August 2020, Doja Cat first introduced the term "CANDYLAND" during the opening sequence of her performance at the 2020 MTV Video Music Awards. In late December 2021, she began teasing the album on Twitter by repeatedly hinting at "CANDYLAND 2022" over the course of a few weeks.

The title of the album, "CANDYLAND," was confirmed in an interview with VOGUE magazine in September 2022. The existence of the track "Sweet Surrender," featuring The Weeknd, was confirmed in the same interview. In the following month, Doja Cat revealed that the song "Lollipop Love" would serve as the second single from "CANDYLAND" in a cover story interview with Billboard. The existence of the track "Bubblegum Bounce" was also revealed at the same time. After announcing the release of this song as a promotional single on June 9, Doja Cat then used social media to announce the album's release date and reveal the artwork and track listing on June 10. The album was made available for pre-order on June 11, the same day "Sugar Rush" was released.

"CANDYLAND" was issued worldwide on November 15th, 2022, at midnight local time, by Kemosabe and RCA Records. The standard edition has only yet been released on digital download and streaming formats, with a limited release of only a few thousand CDs on Doja Cat's online store.

## Composition

The composition of the album features catchy melodies, playful lyrics, and a mix of upbeat and mellow tunes to reflect the various aspects of the candy-themed titles.

## Critical reception

CANDYLAND by Doja Cat has garnered positive reviews from music critics, who have praised its musical versatility, playful lyricism, and genre-spanning nature. The album has an average score of 73 on Metacritic, based on six reviews from professional publications. Sandra Song of Paper described the record as "a witty, irreverent, transgressive encapsulation of [Doja Cat's] abilities," while Meaghan Garvey of Billboard called it "a sultry, eccentric collection of genre-spanning bangers." August Brown of the Los Angeles Times wrote that the album captures the spirit of the times, blending confidence in sexual expression with a hint of longing and forced maturity. Reflecting on the album, Ben-Beaumont Thomas of The Guardian praised Doja Cat's earworm-worthy tracks and her popularity on platforms like TikTok. Jordan Bassett of NME noted that Doja Cat is a pop contender with the talent and drive to achieve great success. In a review for Consequence of Sound, Lucy Shanker highlighted Doja's skill set, emphasizing her control and prowess in singing, rapping, and producing. Lakin Starling of Pitchfork commended Doja's versatility, stating that CANDYLAND does not feel scattered or rushed, unlike her previous work. Erin Bashford of Clash described the album as the work of a well-crafted hip pop star with a clear sense of purpose, showcasing Doja Cat's determination to make her mark in the music industry.

## Cut songs

Doja had written and recorded various songs between 2018 and 2021 with the intention of including them on the album. The list below are the known tracks that did not appear in the final track list for *CANDYLAND*.

### Key

* Bold typing indicates that the song has been fully leaked online or officially released.
* *Italic* typing indicates that the song was never released and has yet to fully leak online.

### List

1. **Sweet Escape**
2. *Taffy Pull*
3. **Gingerbread Man**
4. **NINTENDOHOE**
5. **Love To Dream**
6. *SWEET TOOTH*
7. **Honey**
8. *CANDYBALISM*
9. **Last Minute**
10. **Block Me**
11. *Sex Toy*
12. **Muffin**
13. *Ticket*
14. *CINNAMON*
15. *CHOCOLATE*
16. *SUGAR RUSH*
17. *PEANUT BUTTA*

The reasons for not releasing these songs are not publicly disclosed by Doja Cat or her team.

## Trivia

* Doja Cat drew inspiration from artists like Charli XCX, Ashnikko, and Lady Gaga for the album. She emphasized that "CANDYLAND" represented her as an artist rather than adhering to a specific pop star persona.
* The album includes collaborations with popular artists such as The Weeknd, Khalid, and Bruno Mars.
* Doja Cat aimed to blend bubblegum pop, hyper pop, and pop genres in the album.
* Doja Cat's vision for the album was to create a vivid and imaginative world of confectionery-inspired music, as reflected in the playful and whimsical tracklist.
* The album has garnered positive reviews from music critics, who have praised its musical versatility, playful lyricism, and genre-spanning nature. It has an average score of 73 on Metacritic, based on six reviews from professional publications.
* The album was initially set for release in 2021 but was postponed for undisclosed reasons.
* Doja Cat began teasing the album on Twitter in late December 2021 by repeatedly hinting at "CANDYLAND 2022" over the course of a few weeks.