The Rise of Doja Cat As A Gen Z Icon

2020 has so far been an eventful and promising year for the music industry. Recently, we have seen the rise of 70s and 80s-inspired synth and disco-pop singles, which have taken over the charts this year. One of those singles comes from an artiste called Doja Cat.

Following the release of her sophomore record Hot Pink, Doja Cat has finally achieved her long-overdue acclaim and popularity. This was due to one of the songs on the album, Say So, going viral on TikTok.

With Say So projected to be one of the biggest hits of the year, 2020 might as well be Doja Cat’s opportunity to establish herself as a prominent female rapper and a household name.

Today, we are going to discuss her new record and successful roll-out. But first, let’s look at her backstory.

Amala

Doja Cat released her debut album Amala on March 30, 2018. The record came 4 years after she signed a contract with RCA and Kemosabe Records.

What is so interesting about Amala is that even with a relatively low budget and promotion, Doja Cat was able to find her audience; one that would carry on her success.

This was most evident through a specific trio of singles which came from her debut album’s deluxe edition; Mooo, Juicy, and Tia Tamera featuring Rico Nasty. These provided stamina for Doja Cat’s career.

What is specifically unique about these singles was her organic success, especially Mooo. With over 67 million views on YouTube, the single became popular as a meme that was instantly recognizable by most people on social media.

Genre-bending

However, a lot of Doja Cat’s commercial success came from her crossover appeal. Juicy featuring Tyga was a song that captured both pop and hip hop audiences, the two most influential in the music industry today; encapsulating the younger generations.

In October of 2019, Doja Cat released two singles, Bottom Bitch and Rules. Both singles highlighted a new side to Doja Cat; conveying a versatile and focused approach to showcasing her range as an upcoming artiste.

With Bottom Bitch establishing her presence in the trap landscape and Rules having a greater connection to hip hop, the 24-year-old was quickly gaining traction from a variety of audiences. Ultimately, she would continue to shift between genres in her new album Hot Pink.

Hot Pink

Doja Cat dropped her sophomore album of November 7th, a Thursday, so it would not get lost in the big Friday releases.

Reaching the top 20 on the Billboard charts, the album proved to have a lot of potential and commercial success. The way her label tried to consolidate this success was through one of the tracks on the album titled Cyber Sex.

Serving as the album’s fourth single, Cyber Sex instantly gained massive online attention from its music video. She was once again praised for creating visuals. The R&B essence of the song also received positive acclaim from critics.

This started a successful chain reaction in Doja Cat’s discography. Her singles continued to chart organically on the Billboard Hot 100 list with little or no promotion.

TikTok

Multiple tracks from Doja Cat’s Hot Pink went viral on the short video app TikTok. The reason why TikTok was so essential to Doja Cat’s success is because of its massive audience and media presence.

It provides opportunities for artistes to expand their reach and promote their music to new audiences; particularly teenagers and young adults, which are a powerful force on streaming platforms.

When a single goes viral on TikTok, the millions of views it receives are converted into streams and sales as it influencers users to purchase or stream the single.

As we can see, it is a platform that offers ample opportunity for the success of upcoming artistes. And with Doja Cat becoming a staple on TikTok, she was bound to have another hit off Hot Pink; the album whose crossover appeal could connect with many audiences on the app.

Eventually, this would lead to the commercial success of Say So.

Say So

With the single having a viral TikTok dance, Say So had a massive boost in streams and digital sales. Originally Like That featuring Gucci Mane was intended to be the fifth single.

However, with Say So becoming a Billboard hit, the single proved to have more attention. And RCA capitalized on this attention to the max.

With a scheduled live performance and a music video released a day apart, her label was effectively gradually building more attention for the single and were very successful in doing so.

The music video debuted with 4.3 million views on YouTube.

Aside from TikTok and the label’s promotion, the timing of it all was perfect and crucial to its success. With 2020 seeing the revival of 70s and 80s vibes, her timing fit perfectly with the current demand for music.

Doja Cat’s potential for becoming a household name is very high. Releasing Hot Pink was a step in the right direction. Although critics argue that it was a bare evolution in her discography, the record’s charismatic versatility, infectious tendencies, and authenticity are what make it so good.

Its single-worthy tracklist makes it destined for great things. Let us hope that Doja Cat and her team can continue her successful trajectory once the world presses play again. It would be a shame to see her fade before she gets as big as she is destined to be.

Stream Hot Pink here.