Rise to Success: Career Highlights of Doja Cat
Discover the career path of Doja Cat, from the first major opportunity to industry-changing achievements.
Doja Cat, born Amala Ratna Zandile Dlamini, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. Hailing from Los Angeles, she began her musical journey as a teenager, releasing music on SoundCloud. Her early track "So High" garnered attention, leading to a recording contract with Kemosabe and RCA Records. This deal preceded the release of her debut extended play, Purrr!, in 2014, marking the official start of her professional music career.
2012: Gaining stage name
In 2012, as a teenager, Doja Cat created her stage name inspired by one of her cats and her preferred strain of marijuana, citing her heavy addiction to weed culture at the time.
2012: First SoundCloud Upload
In late 2012, Doja Cat uploaded "So High" to her SoundCloud account, marking her first permanent upload.
August 2014: Release of "Purrr!" EP
In August 2014, Doja Cat released her debut EP, Purrr!, described as spacey, eastern-influenced R&B.
2014: Inspiration for Purrr!
In 2014, Doja Cat drew inspiration from Hindu and Japanese cultures for her album Purrr! and other aspects of her early career.
2014: Signing with Kemosabe and RCA Records
In 2014, Doja Cat's song "So High" attracted the attention of Kemosabe and RCA Records, leading to a recording contract. Prior to this, she released her debut extended play, Purrr! in 2014.
2014: Reference to Nicki Minaj's album
In 2014, Nicki Minaj released "The Pinkprint", which was referenced when Doja Cat's Planet Her album spent its first three weeks at number two on the Billboard 200 chart since The Pinkprint in January 2015.
January 2015: Comparison to Nicki Minaj's album performance
In January 2015, Nicki Minaj's The Pinkprint was the last album to spend its first three weeks at number two on the Billboard 200 chart until Doja Cat's album Planet Her did the same in June 2021.
2016: Collaboration on "Monster"
In late 2016, Doja Cat collaborated with Maco on the song "Monster", featured on his 2017 mixtape, Children of The Rage.
February 2018: Release of "Roll with Us"
In February 2018, Doja Cat released the song "Roll with Us" after a hiatus.
March 30, 2018: Release of Debut Album "Amala"
On March 30, 2018, Doja Cat released her debut studio album Amala through RCA and Kemosabe Records. The release was largely uneventful and failed to chart.
August 2018: Viral Success of "Mooo!"
In August 2018, Doja Cat self-published the music video for "Mooo!", which quickly went viral, gaining over three million views in one week. Following its viral success, "Mooo!" was released as a single.
2018: Viral Success with "Mooo!"
In 2018, Doja Cat experienced viral success with her single "Mooo!", a novelty song where she humorously claims to be a cow. Also in 2018, she released her debut studio album Amala, which was uneventful.
February 2019: Release of "Tia Tamera"
In February 2019, Doja Cat released the single "Tia Tamera" featuring Rico Nasty, along with its accompanying music video.
March 1, 2019: Release of "Amala" Deluxe Edition
On March 1, 2019, Doja Cat released the deluxe edition of her album Amala, which included the bonus tracks "Mooo!", "Tia Tamera" and "Juicy".
December 2019: Scrapped Collaboration on XXXTentacion's Album
In December 2019, Doja Cat was meant to feature on the track "Broward Coward" from XXXTentacion's album, Bad Vibes Forever, but the song was ultimately scrapped during the album's revision.
2019: Release of "Bottom Bitch"
In 2019, Doja Cat released the single "Bottom Bitch", which can be interpreted as a metaphor for lesbian sex.
2019: Increase in audio streams
In 2019, Doja Cat's on-demand audio streams in the U.S. increased, leading to her being ranked as a breakthrough artist in 2020.
February 2020: Performance on The Tonight Show and "Say So" Music Video Release
In February 2020, Doja Cat performed "Say So" on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and released the music video for the song.
May 2020: Featured on The Weeknd's "In Your Eyes" Remix
In May 2020, Doja Cat was featured on a remix of The Weeknd's single "In Your Eyes".
May 2020: "Say So" Remix and Number-One Hit
In May 2020, the remix of "Say So" featuring Nicki Minaj topped the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the first number-one single for both artists.
June 2020: Donation to Justice for Breonna Taylor Fund
In June 2020, Doja Cat donated $100,000 to the Justice for Breonna Taylor Fund to support Taylor's family, showcasing her social contributions.
June 2020: Collaborations and Release of "Like That" Music Video
In June 2020, Doja Cat was featured on City Girls' "Pussy Talk" and released the music video for her single "Like That". She also uploaded "Unisex Freestyle" to SoundCloud.
August 2020: Official Release of "Freak"
In August 2020, Doja Cat's song "Freak", which had been on SoundCloud since 2018, was officially released on digital platforms.
October 2020: Performances and Collaborations
In October 2020, Doja Cat was featured on Bebe Rexha's single "Baby, I'm Jealous", and performed medleys at the Billboard Music Awards. She also performed "Baby, I'm Jealous" and "Del Mar" on television shows.
2020: Billboard and Rolling Stone Rankings
In 2020, Billboard ranked Doja Cat at number five on both the Top New Artists and Top Female Artists charts. Rolling Stone ranked her at number one on their list of the ten biggest breakthrough artists of 2020 after her on-demand audio streams in the U.S. increased by 300% from 2019.
2020: Release of "Boss Bitch"
In 2020, Doja Cat released the single "Boss Bitch" as part of the soundtrack for the film Birds of Prey.
December 31, 2020: Performance at Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve
On December 31, 2020, Doja Cat performed "Say So", "Like That", and "Juicy" at the annual Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve show.
March 2021: Announcement of 'Planet Her' title
In March 2021, Doja Cat revealed the title of her third studio album, Planet Her, in an interview with V Magazine.
April 23, 2021: Launch of NFT Marketplace
On April 23, 2021, Doja Cat launched an NFT marketplace titled "Juicy Drops".
June 11, 2021: Release of 'Need to Know'
On June 11, 2021, the song "Need to Know" was released alongside a music video as the first promotional single from Planet Her. Doja Cat also announced the release of Planet Her.
June 16, 2021: Guest appearance on TV series Dave
On June 16, 2021, Doja Cat guest starred as the temporary romantic interest of American rapper and comedian Lil Dicky in the second season of the TV series Dave.
November 2021: Disdain towards image
In November 2021, Doja Cat expressed some disdain towards her stage name and image, stating that she no longer identifies with the "pothead hippie girl" persona.
2021: Billboard Recognition and Album Success
Doja Cat closed 2021 as the bestselling female R&B and hip-hop artist in the US, and the fourth bestselling female artist overall, additionally placing six songs on the year-end Hot 100. Planet Her was also the sixth best-selling album in the US, and the fifth most streamed album globally on Spotify in 2021.
2021: Tribute to Nicki Minaj on Planet Her
In 2021, Doja Cat paid tribute to Nicki Minaj on the song "Get Into It (Yuh)" from her third studio album, Planet Her, borrowing lyrics and rap delivery from Minaj's debut 2010 single "Massive Attack".
May 6, 2022: Release of 'Vegas' for Elvis Soundtrack
On May 6, 2022, Doja Cat contributed to the soundtrack for Baz Luhrmann's biographical film Elvis (2022) with the song "Vegas", released as its lead single.
June 2022: Feature on Post Malone's 'I Like You (A Happier Song)'
In June 2022, the track "I Like You (A Happier Song)" by Post Malone featuring Doja Cat was released as the third single from Post Malone's album, Twelve Carat Toothache (2023).
July 2022: Subject of Central Cee's Song 'Doja'
In July 2022, Doja Cat was made the subject and namesake of the song "Doja" by British rapper Central Cee, which achieved global success.
2022: XXL Awards and Grammy Nominations
In 2022, Doja Cat won the awards for Female Rapper of the Year and Performer of the Year at the 2022 XXL Awards. She received nominations for eight awards at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards, the most for any female artist. "Kiss Me More" won the award for Best Pop Duo Performance.
June 2023: Release of 'Attention'
In mid-June 2023, Doja Cat released the first promotional single, titled "Attention", alongside an accompanying music video.
August 2023: Release of 'Paint the Town Red'
In early August 2023, Doja Cat released the album's lead single, "Paint the Town Red", which became her first solo song to top the charts in both the United States and the United Kingdom, among several other countries and the Billboard Global 200 chart.
September 2023: Release of 'Demons' and 'Scarlet' album
In early September 2023, Doja Cat released the second promotional single, "Demons". The album "Scarlet" was then released on September 22, 2023.
September 22, 2023: Release of Scarlet album
On September 22, 2023, Doja Cat's album Scarlet was released to mostly positive reviews and debuted within the top 5 in the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada.
2023: Release of "Scarlet" and "Paint the Town Red" Success
In 2023, Doja Cat released her fourth studio album, Scarlet, which adopted a hip-hop-oriented sound. The lead single, "Paint the Town Red", became her first solo number-one on the Billboard Hot 100.
2023: Post Malone's album release
In 2023, Post Malone released his album Twelve Carat Toothache, which featured Doja Cat on the song "I Like You (A Happier Song)" released in June 2022.
2023: Inclusion in Time 100
In 2023, Time included Doja Cat in the Time 100 list of the 100 most influential people in the world, featuring her as one of the four cover stars for the year's issue, showcasing her significant cultural impact.
January 27, 2024: "Paint the Town Red" tops Triple J Hottest 100
On January 27, 2024, Doja Cat's single "Paint the Town Red" was ranked #1 in the Triple J Hottest 100, marking her as the first female rapper and first woman of color to achieve this.
April 5, 2024: Release of 'Scarlet 2 Claude'
On April 5, 2024, Doja Cat released a deluxe edition of the album, Scarlet 2 Claude, named after the Claude Frollo character from The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
March 21, 2025: Feature on Jack Harlow's 'Just Us'
On March 21, 2025, Doja Cat was featured on the song "Just Us" with American rapper Jack Harlow.
2025: Billboard ranking
In 2025, Billboard ranked Doja Cat at number 24 on its "Top 100 Women Artists of the 21st Century" list, recognizing her success in just five years. Also in 2025, "Paint the Town Red" becomes the first rap song in history to top the Billboard Global Excl. U.S chart.
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