Doja Cat

Doja Cat
Doja Cat in 2024
Born
Amala Ratna Zandile Dlamini

(1995-10-21) October 21, 1995
Occupations
  • Rapper
  • singer
  • songwriter
  • record producer
Years active2012–present
WorksDiscography
FatherDumisani Dlamini
AwardsFull list
Musical career
Genres
Labels
Websitedojacat.com
Signature

Amala Ratna Zandile Dlamini (born October 21, 1995), known professionally as Doja Cat (/ˈddʒə/), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, she began making and releasing music on SoundCloud as a teenager. Her song "So High" caught the attention of Kemosabe and RCA Records, with whom she signed a recording contract prior to the release of her debut extended play, Purrr! (2014).

After a hiatus from releasing music and the uneventful rollout of her debut studio album, Amala (2018), Doja Cat earned viral success as an internet meme with her 2018 single "Mooo!", a novelty song in which she makes humorous claims about being a cow. Capitalizing on her growing popularity, she released her second studio album, Hot Pink, in the following year. The album eventually reached the top ten of the US Billboard 200 and spawned the single "Say So"; its remix with Nicki Minaj topped the Billboard Hot 100. Her third studio album, Planet Her (2021), spent four weeks at number two on the Billboard 200 and spawned the top ten singles "Kiss Me More" (featuring SZA), "Need to Know", and "Woman". Her fourth studio album, Scarlet (2023), adopted a hip-hop-oriented sound and peaked within the top five of the Billboard 200, while its lead single "Paint the Town Red" marked her first solo number-one on the Billboard Hot 100—also peaking atop eight international charts—and yielded her furthest commercial success.

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 videos and performances which achieve virality on social media platforms such as TikTok. Well-versed in Internet culture, she is also famed for her absurdist online personality and stage presence. She has received numerous accolades throughout her career, including one Grammy Award from sixteen nominations, five Billboard Music Awards, five American Music Awards, and five MTV Video Music Awards. She is one of the biggest commercial artists of the 2020s according to Billboard, and was included on the 100 most influential people in the world by Time in 2023.