Amala Ratna Zandile Dlamini (born October 21, 1995), known professionally as Doja Cat, is an American rapper and singer. 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.
After a hiatus from releasing music and the uneventful rollout of her debut studio album, Amala (2018), Doja Cat earned viral success as an internet meme with her 2018 single “Mooo!”, a novelty song in which she makes satirical claims about being a cow. Capitalizing on her growing popularity, she released her second studio album, Hot Pink, in the following year. It 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 two on the Billboard 200 and spawned the top 10 singles “Kiss Me More” (featuring SZA), “Need to Know”, and “Woman”.
Described by The Wall Street Journal as “a skilled technical rapper with a strong melodic sense and a bold visual presence”, Doja Cat is known for creating music videos and songs that achieve popularity on social media applications such as TikTok. She is also well-versed in the internet herself, and is famed for her absurdly humorous personality and online presence. Doja Cat has received numerous accolades throughout her career, including one Grammy Award from eleven nominations, five Billboard Music Awards, five American Music Awards, and three MTV Video Music Awards.