Photo by Dusty Ray
Doja Cat has been one of the most popular musicians in the last five years. Her albums “Hot Pink” (2019) and “Planet Her” (2021) garnered extreme success. Doja Cat’s music could be described as pop-rap, R&B and hip-hop, though many people would simply file it under “pop.” Despite her success, Doja Cat has expressed in now-deleted tweets that she felt her last two albums were “cash grabs” and “mediocre pop.” From these tweets, it seemed like she wanted to move on from her usual sound and create something less “pop.” Her next album — now known as “Scarlet” (2023) — was meant to consist predominantly of R&B and hip-hop. “Scarlet” was released on Sept. 22, and fans as well as critics, have mixed feelings about it.
Doja Cat had hyped up “Scarlet” significantly prior to its release, mentioning that she was going in a different direction than her previous album, “Planet Her” (2021). This left the internet and fans believing she was cooking up something new and experimental. However, it turned out to be underwhelming compared to what she had been describing it as, which was a more dark, hardcore and “masculine” rap album that completely ventured away from pop. She was very adamant on creating something that wasn’t pop, something that was more “her,” yet some of the songs sound like they could still fit within the pop genre.
Additionally, while a lot of the production is unique and differs from her usual sound, much of the mediocre lyrics and repetitive themes ruin it. Take, for instance, “Demons,” the second song on the album. It contains an amazing beat and production, which are undermined by basic and even cringeworthy lyrics. This one stood out in particular: “We are enemies, we are foes / Who are you and what are those? / You are gross.” The lyrics are definitely not some of her best work, but it’s hard to bash the song when not all of it is bad. I quite enjoyed it even though some of the lyrics could be improved upon.
As a celebrity who went viral and achieved success via the internet, it is no secret that Doja Cat has had her fair share of controversies. As of recently, she has been called out for feuding with fans. More specifically, she told her fans she didn’t love them because she “didn’t know them” and criticized them for calling themselves ‘Kittenz’ — a name her fanbase created. Fans were rightfully upset about this, finding it to be disrespectful. Her disrespect toward fans has led to mass unfollowing on her social media accounts, which doesn’t bode well before the release of a new album. Although she has said she doesn’t care —and that it feels “freeing” — it still affects the response to “Scarlet.”
Even though Doja Cat’s album isn’t entirely what she described it to be, there is no denying that she went in a different direction with her music. There are definitely similarities to previous albums — something it doesn’t seem she wanted, considering her comment about how they were “mediocre” — but, at the same time, Doja takes a step in the right direction regarding where she said she wanted to go with her music. I thoroughly enjoyed songs such as “Ouchies”, “Gun,” “Go Off,” “Agoura Hills” and even “Demons.” While many of them still fall under the pop label, and are not considered anything special, they’re still enjoyable to listen to.
Overall, I (along with many others) enjoyed Doja Cat’s new album “Scarlet.” It offered something new from her, although I can’t say it’s entirely different from her previous releases. In terms of catchiness and some of the song lyrics, it’s not as “out there” as she made it out to be. I believe that, because she promoted it solely as a rap album, that’s what people expected. And when that wasn’t what they got, there was more critique as a result. Nevertheless, I am curious as to what this new era of Doja Cat brings and what her future projects will look like from now on, especially considering the relationship she has with her fans.
Ava Werner is a third-year Psychology major. AW973732@wcupa.edu.