Photo Credit: Vijat Mohindra
New to the mainstream and already making a strong name for herself, Doja Cat isn’t afraid to put it out there. The young musician has had a quick rise to musical fame, dealt with cancel culture, and is still present throughout everything to produce music that people can enjoy. She was born as Amalaratna Zandile Dlamini on October 21, 1995 to a Jewish mother who is a painter and her South African father who is an actor and film producer. As a young child, she participated in different sports and activities including dancing, while she was living with her mom in California. For an extended period of time, Amala lived in a Hindu ashram. When she moved out with her mom, Amala turned to dance as a fun escape.
At 16-years-old Amala dropped out of high school, instead she began to spend her time learning how to make music. For a while, the young artist would upload songs only to take them down shortly after, but eventually she gained enough confidence to leave them online. One of the first songs to stay was “So High.” Doja Cat’s stage name was influenced by weed culture. Doja Cat announced her new contract signing with RCA Records in 2014. Later that year, she released her EP, Purrr! The five-track EP is composed of new-age R&B music with bass. The combination of direct lyrics with her vocals created a buzz from listeners that became quickly loved.
Between 2015 and 2017 Doja Cat collaborated with multiple artists. Doja Cat connected with OG Maco for his song “Monster.” She also worked with her label mate Ellipant on “Purple Light.” In February 2018, Doja Cat released “Roll with Us.” The single garnered millions of streams on Spotify. The following month she released two singles, “Candy” and “Go to Town.” The singles gained Doja even more attention from listeners. On March 30, 2018, Doja Cat’s first album, Amala was released. The album features 16-tracks of Doja Cat mixing pop and psychedelic-like vibes along with her creative lyricism and vibrant charisma. Konshens and Rico Nasty were the two other appearing artists on the album. The release of the single “Mooo!” brought Doja Cat viral success racking in millions of streams across music platforms.
By October 2019, “Rules” was released along with the announcement of a new studio album. On November 7, 2019, Hot Pink was released through Kemosabe records. The album pulls from pop and R&B genres with guest appearances from Smino, Gucci Mane, and Tyga. Hot Pink sounds more focused and creative then some of Doja’s previous work. Doja’s lyrics are playful but direct with a wittiness about them that is hard to shake. Lead single “Juicy” featuring Tyga became a fun pop song that charted and gained Doja Cat even more streams.
The track “Say So” also generated major success, and this was due to it being used on the social media platform TikTok. Doja Cat is making music that she feels good about and whether she’s singing or rapping, she is finally beginning to take her music seriously. The pride that she has for being outgoing, sexy, and generally original is palpable. Listeners across the globe seem to agree with that statement. Doja Cat will continue her career as a musician that’s creating a sexy and unique style that few can imitate.
Leave a Reply