doja cat
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Doja Cat is the cover star for Dazed magazine’s Winter 2022 The Beautiful Issue, and as the title suggests, the “Say So” singer looks stunning and effortlessly cool with her bright pink buzz cut.
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In the accompanying interview, the star reflected on her journey through playing with her look, and the range of reactions she gets online. “They’re like, ‘Oh, this can’t possibly be her simply having fun. She has to be out of her mind. She has to be cuckoo,’” she said. “Also, I have a really bad impulse control; I like to react to things really quick. If I’m in the right mood, or the wrong mood, I will snap back and I’ll have fun doing it.”
As for her latest ‘do, a shaved head and nonexistent eyebrows, Doja revealed that she’s loving it, despite at first thinking she looked like a “wrinkly penis.” “I have never felt more beautiful in my entire life, which is very strange. I felt beautiful when I had long hair. I definitely felt like a hot girl then, but I always do,” she explained. “There’s something so exhilarating about change; [it] showed me a different side of myself. I feel so new, fresh and sexy. I also feel better without make-up: having this bare head and so little make-up is a fun experience. It’s new, and I love it.”
She also shared her perspective surrounding her relationship with her body, something she said has grown. “Now, to me, beauty is going against [what society wants]. I love when you take something that is maybe classically beautiful and twist it and make it your own,” she shared. “For me, it’s more of an ‘are you happy?’ kind of thing. I want my fans to learn they don’t have to be like anyone else and the thing they want is already there. They just haven’t found it yet, and once they do they’ll be like, ‘How the f— did I not see it? How did I miss this?’”
Read the full interview here.
When it comes to Doja Cat and rhythmic radio, the odds, as of late, are always in her favor.
For the second year in a row, Doja Cat achieves four No. 1s on Billboard’s Rhythmic Airplay chart and strengthens her status as one of the format’s top-tier acts. The achievement comes as “Vegas” climbs from No. 3 to lead the list dated Nov. 19. The song ascends after a 7% increase in weekly plays that made it the most-played song on U.S. monitored rhythmic radio stations in the week ending Nov. 13, according to Luminate.
“Vegas” appears on the soundtrack to the film Elvis and samples the Big Mama Thornton’s 1952 version of the song “Hound Dog,” which Presley covered and turned into a major pop hit four years later.
The new champ also banks Doja Cat’s fourth Rhythmic Airplay No. 1 hit of 2022. She previously reigned this calendar year with “Woman,” (five weeks in March – April), “Freaky Deaky,” with Tyga (one week in May), and through a featured spot on Post Malone’s “I Like You (A Happier Song)” (four weeks in August – September).
She likewise managed a quartet of chart-toppers in 2021, which then made her the first woman to land four No. 1s in the same calendar year since Rihanna in 2012.
Beyond her quadruple plays in 2021 and 2022, Doja Cat has also topped the chart once more. Her breakout single, “Say So,” led for three weeks in 2020.
All told, “Vegas” gives Doja Cat her ninth No. 1 on Rhythmic Airplay and moves into a joint share of 10th place, with Jay-Z and Nicki Minaj, for the most in the chart’s history since its launch in 1992. Here’s a look at the current standings for most No. 1s:
36, Drake17, Rihanna13, Bruno Mars13, Usher12, Chris Brown12, Lil Wayne12, The Weeknd11, Beyoncé10, Post Malone9, Doja Cat9, Jay-Z9, Nicki Minaj
Elsewhere in the radio world, “Vegas” climbs 5-3 on the all-genre Radio Songs chart, with a 13% boost to 60 million in audience reach. In addition to its success at the rhythmic format, “Vegas” logged a four-week stay at No. 1 on Pop Airplay (and drops 1-3 this week). Further, with “I Like You (A Happier Song),” immediately ruling Pop Airplay for the three weeks before “Vegas” took over, Doja Cat combined for a seven-week stay at the penthouse.
Doja Cat oozes confidence in her music videos, but things aren’t always as they seem.
In a Billboard exclusive clip from the new Audible original series Origins, the singer opened up about feeling self-conscious while filming her visuals.
“I actually had a problem at one point where I was doing all these music videos, I wouldn’t ask to see the screen,” she says in the clip (listen below). “I didn’t want to see what I looked like in that shot. I had a really hard time seeing myself in the music video after not being able to see the monitor, and I’d see myself and be like, ‘Oh my God, I approved that? Why did I let myself look like that?’”
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She says things changed when she started shooting music videos with more veteran artists like Ariana Grande, Megan Thee Stallion and Bebe Rexha. “I saw them be like, ‘Let me see, let me see.’ And I’m like, ‘That’s the smartest thing to do!’ Because how the f— would you know what you look like?” she explains of finding her confidence on set.
Produced by Fresh Produce Media, Origins is an eight-part audio series featuring some of today’s top musicians in their most intimate form as they interpret the question, “Where are you from?” Each episode blends spoken narrative, immersive sound design and original music performances to help shape each story. Besides Doja Cat, Billie Eilish, Camilo, Koffee, Tobe Nwigwe, Flying Lotus, King Princess and Mickey Guyton are also among the stars telling their origin stories.
“Audible has been fortunate to work with some of the most beloved and iconic musicians of our time through our ‘Words + Music’ series – one that focuses on the work of immensely talented artists and their incredible and varied impacts musically and personally, and has struck a chord with Audible listeners,” said Rachel Ghiazza, executive vice president, head of US content at Audible, in a press statement. “As we continue to dive head first into our expanding music vertical, we are thrilled to introduce Origins, a transcendent audio experience. This series breaks down the barrier between artist and human, as we get up close and personal with these remarkable contemporary musicians and find the source of each of their creative drives.”
Doja added, “I’ve always tried to bring my fans into my world. I am more interested in being myself than what others want me to be. I want people to get a real understanding of who I am, and I think Origins will help them do that.”
All eight installments of Origins will be available November 17 on Audible here. See the cover art below.
Courtesy Photo
The past two years have been a whirlwind of success for Doja Cat, who emerged from TikTok virality to become one of radio’s most beloved artists of the young decade so far. And she’s been on the type of hot streak that has her in rarefied territory: With five top five hits on Pop Airplay off her latest album, the RCA-released Planet Her, her album became just the seventh to ever accomplish that feat, a mark she set over the course of an entire calendar year — an impressive achievement in an era when attention spans are short and longevity is fleeting.
This week, Doja Cat adds to her run of success as her latest single “Vegas,” off the Elvis soundtrack (also out on RCA), became her sixth No. 1 single at Pop Airplay — replacing her collaboration with Post Malone, “I Like You (A Happier Song),” atop the list and making her the first artist to replace herself atop the chart since Ariana Grande nearly two years ago. And as “Vegas” also becomes Dojo’s sixth top 10 single on the Hot 100 — all since 2020 — her manager at SALXCO and newly-named executive vp of A&R and artist development at Capitol Music Group Gordan Dillard is Billboard’s Executive of the Week.
Here, Dillard tells Billboard about Dojo’s success at pop radio, how her team has kept the album alive and charting for so long and how they leverage TikTok to help work records at radio, as well as some of the transformations in the industry. “We approach albums with longevity in mind,” he says. “When the music is complete, we work months to build out strategic marketing plans, release schedules, promotional assets and much more. We are very strategic when it comes to how and when the records are released [and] we work very closely and far in advance with our partners to ensure maximize impact and longevity for every record.”
This week, Doja Cat’s “Vegas” reached No. 1 on the Pop Airplay chart, her sixth No. 1 on that chart, and became her sixth top 10 Hot 100 hit. What key decisions did you make to help make that happen?
There were a lot of decisions that went into the success of this record. We approached it the same as we would any solo Doja record, but also gave a ton of support to the director Baz Luhrmann, the film itself, and the release. We executed our marketing efforts in tandem with the film. “Vegas” was first premiered with Shonka [Dukureh] — rest in peace — at Coachella before the film or trailer featuring “Vegas” was released which laid a great deal of anticipation for the release. Along the way, the entire team, both RCA and management, played a key role in executing and staying consistent with the efforts to hit these record-breaking achievements.
“Vegas” replaced her collaboration with Post Malone, “I Like You (A Happier Song),” on the chart, making her the first artist to replace themselves there since Ariana Grande almost two years ago. Why has she had such success at that radio format?
Doja is a world-renowned musical artist and one of the biggest female pop stars of her generation. She has always put music first and with the incredibly hardworking promotional team at RCA, she has had and will continue to have radio success. Our radio partners are also amazing and supportive.
This song in particular didn’t make big waves immediately on its release, but after picking up steam on TikTok has grown into her latest major hit. How have you guys been able to use TikTok to help fuel Doja Cat’s songs and career in other areas?
The digital world is an ever-evolving machine. Breaking records and artists are much different than they were even just a few months ago. Doja and her music has always had a great following on TikTok and the TikTok team has always been great to work with while always being supportive of our marketing ideas. Social media has always been a key component to Doja’s organic communication with her fans and we’ll always keep it that way.
Planet Her had produced five top-five hits at pop radio, just the seventh album to do so, and stretching across more than a year. In an era when albums tend to come and go relatively quickly, what did you and your team do to keep the album so relevant and producing radio hits for such an extended period of time?
We approach albums with longevity in mind. When the music is complete, we work months to build out strategic marketing plans, release schedules, promotional assets and much more. We are very strategic when it comes to how and when the records are released [and] we work very closely and far in advance with our partners to ensure maximize impact and longevity for every record. Also, our team is very strong, smart and we strike together. Teamwork is key in our success.
This song is from the Elvis soundtrack. Do you work songs differently for a soundtrack song as opposed to something from one of her own projects?
No, this record specifically came at the perfect time. The process is still the same even if this song was from a soundtrack. We still approach it as if it’s a solely Doja Cat record.
You’ve been a manager for a decade, both with your own company and with SALXCO. How has management evolved in that time?
In my opinion, management is much more involved nowadays more than ever. Managers have become CEOs of the artist’s business. We are much more involved in the growth of the artist’s initiatives outside of just music. We are somewhat business partners with our artists.
You also have a new job at Capitol. How do you balance that job with managing an artist at another label?
I don’t think about it like that. They are separate and I don’t mix the two. Although the skill sets are transferable and help with both positions. I also have amazing teams on both sides that support and allow me to be instrumental in the individual successes. Without them neither would be possible.