Doja Cat

Doja Cat turned a viral breakout into a run of pop and rap hits that has included two US Billboard Hot 100 number ones, a Grammy Award, and a place among Billboard’s leading women artists of the 21st century. Born Amala Ratna Zandile Dlamini on October 21, 1995, she is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter from Tarzana, California. Her work moves between rap, R&B, pop, and dance-oriented production, while her videos and online presence have often made humor part of the presentation.

She first drew attention in 2012 with “So High,” independently published on SoundCloud. The song later received a commercial release and preceded her independently released debut EP, Purrr!, in 2014. After signing with Kemosabe and RCA Records, she issued her first studio album, Amala, in 2018. Its viral single “Mooo!” became a major internet moment and brought a wider audience to her music.

Her second album, Hot Pink (2019), produced “Say So,” which became her first US Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper. The 2020 remix with Nicki Minaj also marked the first collaboration between the two artists. Doja Cat followed it with Planet Her in 2021, an album that generated the top-ten singles “Kiss Me More,” featuring SZA, “Need to Know,” and “Woman.” The album’s campaign earned her a Grammy Award.

In 2023, Scarlet shifted toward a more hip-hop-oriented sound. Its lead single, “Paint the Town Red,” became her second US number-one single. Her fifth album, Vie, arrived in 2025 and returned to pop-focused material. Between 2018 and 2022, she sold more than 34 million records, placing her among the best-selling female rappers. In 2024, Billboard ranked her the 24th top woman artist and the second female rapper of the 21st century, five years after her first charted record.

Billboard has called Doja Cat one of the world’s biggest pop stars and one of the defining pop stars of her era, while Time included her among its most influential people in 2023. Since 2020, her awards have included one Grammy from 19 nominations, six Billboard Music Awards, five American Music Awards, six MTV Video Music Awards, and eight iHeartRadio Music Awards.