Doja Cat facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Doja Cat
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Doja Cat in 2021
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Amala Ratna Zandile Dlamini
October 21, 1995 Los Angeles, California, U.S.
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| Years active | 2012–present |
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| Awards | Full list |
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Amala Ratna Zandile Dlamini (born October 21, 1995), who is known by her stage name Doja Cat, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. She was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. As a teenager, she started creating music and sharing it on the website SoundCloud. Her song "So High" got the attention of Kemosabe and RCA Records. She signed a contract with them and released her first extended play, Purrr!, in 2014.
Doja Cat's first album, Amala (2018), didn't become popular right away. But she later became famous on the internet when her song "Mooo!" went viral. In the fun song, she pretends to be a cow. This new fame helped her next album, Hot Pink (2019), become a big success. It reached the top 10 on the US Billboard 200 chart. The album's single "Say So", especially the remix with Nicki Minaj, went to number one on the Billboard Hot 100.
Her third album, Planet Her (2021), was also very successful. It stayed at number two on the Billboard 200 for four weeks. It had hit singles like "Kiss Me More" (featuring SZA), "Need to Know", and "Woman". For her fourth album, Scarlet (2023), she focused more on hip-hop music. The album's main single, "Paint the Town Red", became her first solo song to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100.
Doja Cat is known for making creative music videos that become popular on social media sites like TikTok. She has won many awards, including a Grammy Award, five Billboard Music Awards, and five MTV Video Music Awards. In 2023, Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world.
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Early Life
Amala Ratna Zandile Dlamini was born on October 21, 1995, in the Tarzana neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. Her mother, Deborah Sawyer, is a graphic designer. Her father, Dumisani Dlamini, is a South African actor and producer who starred in the Broadway musical Sarafina!. Her parents met in New York City but had a brief relationship. Doja Cat has said that she does not have a relationship with her father.
Soon after she was born, Doja Cat moved to Rye, New York, to live with her grandmother. When she was eight, she moved back to California with her mother and brother. They lived in an ashram, which is a type of spiritual community, and practiced Hinduism for four years. Later, her family moved to Oak Park. There, she took dance lessons and enjoyed skateboarding and surfing.
As a teenager, Doja Cat learned to breakdance and joined a professional pop-locking group. She competed in dance battles all over Los Angeles. Her aunt, who was a vocal coach, gave her singing lessons. She often skipped school to hang out in online chatrooms. At age 16, she decided to leave high school to focus on her music career.
Career
2012–2017: How She Got Started
After leaving school, Doja Cat spent her time searching the internet for beats and instrumentals on YouTube. She taught herself how to sing, rap, and use the music software GarageBand. She started uploading her music to SoundCloud. In late 2012, her song "So High" was one of her first uploads.
She began performing in the underground hip-hop scene in Los Angeles. There, she met producer Jerry "Tizhimself" Powell, who introduced her to another producer, Yeti Beats. Yeti Beats helped her sign a record deal with Kemosabe Records and RCA Records when she was 17. In 2014, she released her first EP, Purrr!.
2018–2019: Amala and Viral Fame
After a short break, Doja Cat released her first album, Amala, on March 30, 2018. At first, the album was not very successful. One of its songs, "Candy", later became a hit in 2019 after a dance challenge on TikTok went viral.
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In August 2018, Doja Cat released a homemade music video for her song "Mooo!". In the song, she jokes about being a cow. The video quickly became an internet meme and got millions of views. Because it was so popular, "Mooo!" was officially released as a single. The success of "Mooo!" showed her record labels that she was a marketable artist, and they began to support her more.
2019–2020: Breakthrough with Hot Pink
In August 2019, Doja Cat released a remix of her song "Juicy" with rapper Tyga. The song became her first entry on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. This success helped her first album, Amala, finally appear on the Billboard 200 chart.
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Her second album, Hot Pink, was released on November 7, 2019. The album received good reviews and reached number 9 on the Billboard 200. A song from the album, "Say So", became very popular on TikTok. After she performed it on TV and released a music video, the song became her first top-ten single. In May 2020, a remix of "Say So" featuring Nicki Minaj reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100. It was the first number-one single for both artists.
In 2020, Doja Cat won the Push Best New Artist award at the 2020 MTV Video Music Awards. She also won New Artist of the Year at the 2020 American Music Awards. Rolling Stone magazine named her the biggest breakthrough artist of 2020.
2021–2022: Success with Planet Her
In early 2021, Doja Cat was featured on the hit song "Best Friend" by Saweetie. Her own song, "Streets", also became a hit on TikTok. At the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards, she was nominated for Best New Artist.
On April 10, 2021, she released "Kiss Me More" featuring SZA. The song was a huge success, peaking at number three on the Billboard Hot 100. Her third album, Planet Her, was released on June 25, 2021. It debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 chart.
In September 2021, Doja Cat hosted the 2021 MTV Video Music Awards. She was the first host to also be nominated for Video of the Year in the same ceremony. At the 64th Annual Grammy Awards, she received eight nominations. She won her first Grammy Award for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for "Kiss Me More" with SZA.
2023–present: Scarlet
In 2023, Doja Cat announced that her fourth album would be more focused on rap music. She wanted to move away from the pop sound of her previous albums. The album's lead single, "Paint the Town Red", was released in August 2023. It was a massive success, reaching number one in the U.S., the U.K., and on the Billboard Global 200 chart.
Her fourth album, Scarlet, was released on September 22, 2023. It received positive reviews and debuted in the top 5 in the U.S., U.K., and Canada. To support the album, she started The Scarlet Tour, her first tour in major arenas. A deluxe version of the album, Scarlet 2 Claude, was released on April 5, 2024.
Artistry
Musical Style and Influences
Doja Cat's music is a mix of hip hop, R&B, and pop. She has said that Nicki Minaj is one of her biggest influences. On her song "Get Into It (Yuh)", she pays tribute to Minaj's style. She has also named Lauryn Hill and Busta Rhymes as major inspirations.
Other artists who have influenced her include Rihanna, Beyoncé, Missy Elliott, and Pharrell Williams. She is also inspired by the music her mother listened to, such as Fugees, Erykah Badu, and TLC.
Stage Name
Doja Cat got her stage name in 2012. The name came from one of her cats and her interest in "weed culture." She said she thought the word "doja" sounded like a girl's name.
Personal Life
Doja Cat prefers to keep her personal life private. She bought a home in Beverly Hills, California in 2021 and sold it in 2022.
In June 2020, she donated $100,000 to the Justice for Breonna Taylor Fund. This was to support the family of Breonna Taylor.
In January 2024, Doja Cat's mother filed for a temporary restraining order against Doja Cat's older brother. He had allegedly been abusive towards both of them.
Discography
- Amala (2018)
- Hot Pink (2019)
- Planet Her (2021)
- Scarlet (2023)
- Vie (2025)
Tours
Headlining
- Amala Tour (2018–2019)
- The Scarlet Tour (2023–2024)
Supporting
- Theophilus London – Vibes Tour (2015)
- Lizzo – Good as Hell Tour (2017)
See also
In Spanish: Doja Cat para niños
- List of Zulu people
- List of Los Angeles rappers
- List of artists who reached number one in the United States
- List of Billboard Hot 100 number ones of 2020
- List of most-streamed artists on Spotify
