So Doja went back to what she knew worked for her in the first place: coping with the world by casually freestyling online. As NPRвЂ™s 2018 midyear best album list noted at the time, the album may have been overlooked вЂњlikely because it came out when all eyes were on Cardi B's Invasion of Privacy and Kali Uchis' Isolation.вЂќД«ut any artist in their flop era knows things can only go up if you embrace your setbacks.

At its highest, Amala charted at 138 on the Billboard 200. She released her debut album Amala, a sly mix of playful R&B pop tracks featuring earworm hooks, in March of 2018 to minimal buzz. (Later in her career, DojaвЂ™s association with the disgraced producer would prove to be one of her many lasting controversies.)Д«efore that happened, though, Doja initially flopped. So, at 17, Doja Cat signed to RCA and Kemosabe Records, the latter of which was cofounded by Dr. She self-published her first single вЂњ So HighвЂќ - a psychedelic ode to stoners - on SoundCloud in 2012, and it caught the attention of a major record label. вЂњIt was really just like a high thought,вЂќ she told VladTV in 2018.Дoja blew up in 2019 with the release of her sophomore album Hot Pink, but sheвЂ™s been releasing music for nearly a decade. Her stage name, Doja Cat, refers to a slang term for weed and also the fact that she was around a lot of cats at the time.

She eventually began freestyling on her computer, ripping beats from YouTube and recording songs on GarageBand. At 16, she dropped out of high school.ДЄt the time, she was smoking weed daily and listening to DвЂ™Angelo and Erykah Badu, as well as then-reigning pop stars Rihanna and Nicki Minaj. Born in the outskirt Los Angeles neighborhood of Tarzana to a Jewish American painter mom and South African actor absentee dad, Doja moved around with her mother as a kid, with stints in New York and a California ashram before resettling in Los Angeles. And her particular brand of satire might be exactly why she hasnвЂ™t found herself alienated, even as she enters her alien era.Д«efore Doja Cat, there was Amala Zandile Dlamini. Though the cosmic theme isnвЂ™t really detectable beyond the lo-fi beats, Planet Her is filled with enough pluses (вЂњKiss Me More,вЂќ specifically) to keep the hazy vibes going all summer long.Д«ut thereвЂ™s no denying thereвЂ™s an unprecedented Teflon-like quality to Doja, a pop star who spent her early years shitposting and freestyling online all while largely soldiering through controversy. Today she released Planet Her, a galactic-themed concept album featuring her most sonically traditional Top 40 tracks yet, imbued with casually catchy hooks (the Ariana Grande collab вЂњI DonвЂ™t Do DrugsвЂќ feels like a drug), zany lyrics (вЂњCall him Ed Sheeran, he in love with my bodyвЂќ) and impressive guests (The Weeknd! SZA!). Like Roxie Hart, Doja eagerly takes to the spotlight, controversy and all. Since she got her start releasing humorous rap tracks on SoundCloud in the early 2010s, the 25-year-old star has seen the successes and pitfalls of a young career that flourished online: SheвЂ™s gotten three Grammy nominations, has received backlash for using an anti-gay slur (she released three subsequent apologies after the first one was criticized), has had numerous songs become viral TikTok trends, contracted COVID-19 after mocking the virus last year, has landed three songs in the Billboard Top 10, and has dodged cancellation for being associated with disgraced producer Dr. It seemed like she wanted us to jettison our previous ideas about her and listen to what she was offering up now. But it was telling that her inspiration was a musical about provocative, misconstrued women. Sure, it made for a theatrical interpretation of her hits. It was hard not to read into Doja CatвЂ™s impressive homage to Chicago. вЂњForget what youвЂ™ve seen and forget what youвЂ™ve heard because tonight IвЂ™m going to keep it real,вЂќ she said before sauntering into a medley: вЂњJuicy,вЂќ then other recent triumphs вЂњSay SoвЂќ and вЂњLike That,вЂќ all reimagined as a big-band stage number. As the sparkly intro to the song built, Doja spoke directly to the camera, her bedazzled silver leotard winking. On the Billboard Music Awards stage in October, Doja Cat stood in front of a Broadway sign displaying the word вЂњJuicy,вЂќ the title of her 2019 hit single.

Juicy doja cat tyga album cover