If you haven’t heard of Doja Cat, we’re about to bless you with some valuable knowledge nuggets on one of the most gorgeous and talented female musicians of our era. This rapper and songwriter is like the future mixed with the early 2000s – she’s a vision to look at, with lyrics that slice. Her name is Doja, and she’s an icon in more than one right. Here are the top Doja Cat facts to familiarize yourself with now.
1. Her real name is more of a tongue twister than a stage one – her real name is Amalaratna Zandile Dlamini. She is South African (on her dad’s side) and Jewish American (on her mom’s side). Outside of this colorful heritage, she was born in Tarzana, California.
2. She is 24 years old, and her birthday is 21 October 1995, which makes her a Libra. Suddenly everything makes more sense…
3. The biracial artist got her music taste for hip hop from her Jewish mom, who was mostly a single parent in Amala’s life. She introduced Doja to artists like Erykah Badu, D’angelo and the Fugees.
4. A lot of people know her by her very hilarious viral hit called “Mooo!” On Youtube, which she created in less than a day. What’s the story behind the song, many want to know? She says it was inspired by a cow printed tour outfit. When inspiration strikes, you gotta write! Many people discovered Doja just from this song.
5. Her love life is kind of mysterious, but she dated Johnny Utah, who looks like the real-life Archie Andrews. After they started dating in 2019, things fizzled down and we discovered they broke up in Feb 202 thanks to an Instagram Live post courtesy of Doja. Things ended amicably, which we’re glad to hear.
6. Her debut album was Amala, and the most famous song was “Juicy,” which snagged a feature from Tyga and skyrocketed Doja to a more mainstream fame. To be honest, we liked the song better without him. Doja don’t need no man!
7. Her mother was a painter with a secret love for singing, and her dad is a famous South African actor! He featured in Broadway musicals for Lion King, which explains where she got her intensely vibrant energy from.
8. In 11th grade, Doja Cat dropped out of high school and decided to go for music instead. She obviously flourished in her choice, and after a few SoundCloud posts, started gaining a massive fan base. If she ever decides to get that GED we’re in full support, but it looks like she’s doing pretty good for now.
9. At 11, most kids take up volleyball or piano. Doja had a love for breakdancing, which explains her explosive dance moves that we know and love today. She even danced in a Los Angeles crew! We need to see those videos ASAP.
10. She’s known for her honesty and candour online. Doja might look like a lady, but she’s not afraid to act out of that box and be her loud, unapologetic self. A reminder for girls all over to stay true to themselves.
11. After growing up to the soundtrack of her mom’s musical inspirations, her own inspirations included Rihanna, Lady Sovereign, and Amy Winehouse. It’s an odd trio, but if you think of Doja’s sound, it kind of makes sense.
12. At one point in life, she was shy! This is hard to believe for Doja lovers, but apparently she used to want to sing but wasn’t able to due to her shyness. She would start by quietly singing in her room and locking the door, which is quite different from the personality we know today.
13. She had an incident with some offensive tweets that people dug up from a few years ago. She apologized, but ever since then, has been a little less active on social media, besides her colorful freestyles on Instagram Live.
14. Her most recent viral video is the amazing visuals for her song “Say So” which is a total 1970s vibe, perfectly fitting the funky disco nature of the track itself. Seriously, is there any outfit this woman can’t pull off? It also went viral on TikTok, given the catchy dances in the vid.