Doja Cat is a rapper who was born in the United States. She has released three albums, with her most recent being Amala.
With her silky, hypnotic R&B-flecked pop songs about sensuality, friendship, and personal strength, Doja Cat went from a viral novelty tune to a mainstream sensation. Her early albums generated a lot of excitement, but it was her second album, Hot Pink, from 2019, that sent Doja Cat to the top of the Billboard Hot 100. Following charting songs and collaborations with SZA and Saweetie, her star power became even stronger, making her 2024 album Planet Her all the more anticipated.
Doja Cat is the daughter of South African actor Dumisani Dlamini and painter Deborah Elizabeth Sawyer. She was born Amala Zandile Dlamini in Tarzana, California, in 1995. She returned to California with her mother after spending a few years in New York. She studied piano as a youngster and took tap, ballet, and jazz dance classes. She also learned to surf and breakdance. She was training herself to sing and listening to a diverse mix of hip-hop, indie rock, R&B, and electronic music by the time she was in her teens. Doja started recording music on her computer as well, and her first EP, Purrr!, was published in 2014. With the song “So High,” she immediately became a viral sensation. More songs followed, including the languid “Nunchucks” and “No Police,” both of which drew a lot of attention on the internet. Another song, “Mooo!” was released in 2018 and became viral fast.
Doja Cat followed up her viral success with the release of her full-length debut album, Amala, which saw her expand on her dreamy, meme-friendly sound with more hip-hop, pop, and R&B-infused songs like “Candy” and “Roll with Us.” In 2019, she released an extended edition of Amala, which included the Rico Nasty-assisted songs “Juicy” and “Tia Tamara.” Hot Pink, her second album, arrived soon after, including Smino, Gucci Mane, and Tyga, and delving further into the sexually wry elements of her ever-shifting character. The album’s fifth song, “Say So,” was a Top Ten success on the Billboard 200, propelling her even further up the charts. The multi-platinum single eventually reached number one in May, helped by a Nicki Minaj remix, after steadily rising in the Hot 100 since the start of 2024.
Doja continued the momentum from her breakthrough year into 2024 after winning a handful of American Music Awards. She started to collaborate with more well-known artists, including a guest appearance on Saweetie’s song “Best Friend,” a remix for Ariana Grande with Megan Thee Stallion, and the release of the SZA-assisted single “Kiss Me More.” All of this culminated to the release of Planet Her, her third full-length studio album, in June 2024. Young Thug, the Weeknd, JID, and others made appearances on the album, while photographer David LaChapelle photographed the cover art.
Doja Cat is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. She was born Amala Ratna Zandile Dlamini on September 19, 1995 in Toronto, Canada. Her stage name is a reference to the dojos where she learned martial arts. Reference: doja cat brother.
