In the decade or so since first experimenting with beats on the Internet, to the five years since her first album was released, Doja Cat has sold over four and a half million records in the United States alone, headlined several festivals – all at the age of just 27. What could be considered a whirlwind career full of achievements, for the young artist it appears that she’s just getting started.
Born as a native of Southern California, Doja Cat, birth name Amala Ratna Zandile Dlamini, grew up in Tarzana. After living in New York for a few years, her family moved back to the Valley in Agoura Hills. After dropping out of high school, she began uploading music to Soundcloud, learning to sing and rap via GarageBand. One of the earliest posts was an early incarnation of “So High,” which would eventually become the first single off of her 2014 debut EP, “Purrr!”
In 2018, she released her first full-length album, “Amala” after her first name. Its first track, “Candy,” would go viral after becoming a TikTok dance challenge. She would self-release a music video for “Mooo!” which itself became part of an internet meme, garnering three million views in a week. Even in her early days, critics were quick to praise her ability to both sing and rap, while producing her own work.
It would be her third album, “Hot Pink,” that would launch her into superstardom. The album itself debuted at number nine on the Billboard 200, and it was her single “Say So” that really brought her name to the masses, becoming both a radio and internet smash hit. Despite having her supporting tour scrapped due to COVID, Doja Cat remained persistent in letting her light shine, eventually being named in the top five of both the Top New Artists of 2020 and Top Female Artists of 2020 according to Billboard sales.
The 2021 album “Planet Her” would see mega singles “Need to Know,” “Kiss Me More,” “Woman,” “Ain’t Shit,” and featured collaborations with The Weeknd, SZA, and Ariana Grande.
This album, along with “Hot Pink,” would each go on to sell over two million albums in the U.S. Shortly after winning her first Grammy for Best Pop Duo Performance for “Kiss Me More,” Doja Cat would go on to play one of the main stages to close out Coachella, playing just before Swedish House Mafia x The Weeknd.
Now, Doja Cat’s fourth album, “Scarlet,” is set to release September 22nd. In anticipation of the album’s release, she has announced a supporting tour traveling across the country beginning Halloween night in San Francisco and ending at Chicago’s United Center on December 13th.
Locally she will be playing the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on November 2nd and the Honda Center in Anaheim on November 6th.
Known for her high-energy shows and incredible visual stage sets, fans are eager to witness the phenomenon in person.
