Doja Cat is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. Born and raised in Los Angeles, she began making and releasing music on SoundCloud as a teenager. Her song “So High” caught the attention of Kemosabe and RCA Records, with which she signed a joint record deal at the age of 17, subsequently releasing her debut EP Purrr! in 2014.
Amala Ratna Zandile Dlamini was born on October 21, 1995, into an artistic family in the Tarzana neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. Her mother, Deborah Sawyer, is a Jewish-American graphic designer, and her father, Dumisani Dlamini, is a South African actor of Zulu descent, best known for starring as Crocodile in the original Broadway cast of the musical Sarafina! and the 1992 film of the same name.
Doja Cat earned viral success as an internet meme with her 2018 single “Mooo!”, a novelty song in which she fantasizes about being a cow. Capitalizing on her growing popularity, her second studio album, Hot Pink (2019), reached the top 10 of the US Billboard 200 and spawned the single “Say So”, which topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart following the release of a remix featuring Nicki Minaj.
This album was followed by Planet Her (2021), which spent three consecutive weeks at number 2 on the Billboard 200 and spawned the top 10 singles “Kiss Me More” (featuring SZA) and “Need to Know”.
Full Name: Amala Ratna Zandile Dlamini
Date of Birth: October 21, 1995
Age: 26
Birth Place: Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Nationality: American
Profession: Rapper, Singer, Songwriter
Genre: Pop, R&B, Hip hop, pop rap
Net-worth: $8 million
Career: She taught herself to sing, rap and use GarageBand while at home without a job, frequently making music and uploading it to SoundCloud. In late 2012, “So High” became the first permanent upload on her SoundCloud account, and soon caught the attention of record producer Yeti Beats, who invited her to record at his studio in the neighbourhood of Echo Park, which also served as “an oasis of sorts for Doja to escape from the turmoil at home”.
He connected her with Kemosabe Records, an imprint of RCA Records, where she signed in March 2014 under label executive Dr. Luke and his publishing company Prescription Songs at the age of 17.
On March 30, 2018, Doja Cat’s debut studio album Amala was released through RCA and Kemosabe Records, and included the three singles. Its release was largely uneventful, as it was ignored by critics and failed to chart in any market.
In February 2022, Doja Cat released a cover of the song “Celebrity Skin” by American rock band Hole, as part of a Taco Bell commercial which stars the singer herself and is to premiere at the Super Bowl LVI.
The cover contains reworked lyrics co-written by Doja Cat and Courtney Love, the frontwoman of Hole. Doja Cat is nominated for eight awards at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year (Planet Her and Montero), Record of the Year (“Kiss Me More”), Song of the Year (“Kiss Me More”), Best Pop Vocal Album (Planet Her), Best Pop Duo Performance (“Kiss Me More”), Best Rap Song (“Best Friend”) and Best Melodic Rap Performance (“Need to Know”).
Personal Life:
In August 2019, she began dating indie pop musician Jawny, although the pair split up in February 2020.
In June 2020, Doja Cat donated $100,000 to the Justice For Breonna Taylor Fund, in support of Taylor’s family.
In early 2021, Doja Cat bought a home in Beverly Hills, California, for $2.2 million.
Songs:
Amala (2018)
Hot Pink (2019)
Planet Her (2021)
Awards:
2020
New Artist of the Year ( Herself)
Favorite Female Soul/R&B Artist
American Music Award: Collaboration of the Year “Kiss Me More” (featuring SZA)
2021: Favorite Soul/R&B Female Artist
Favorite Soul/R&B Album
Billboard Women in Music 2022 Powerhouse Award
BMI Pop Awards 2021 Award-Winning Songs “Say So”
“Like That” Won
Most Performed R&B/Hip-Hop Songs