Doja Cat’s New Album Is Inspired By German Rave Culture
Grammy-winning rapper Doja Cat has experimented with different styles of music since she first started releasing music in the mid-2010s and her mainstream breakout at the turn of the 2020s. For her upcoming fourth studio album, the “Say So” rapper has been leaning towards a rave vibe.
Doja Cat released 3 albums in 3 years
Doja Cat released her first EP Purrr! back in 2014. Four years later, in 2018, the rapper released her debut album Amala, fronted by singles like “Mooo!” and “Tia Tamera.” The following year, she released her sophomore breakout album, Hot Pink, which contained smash singles including “Say So,” “Juicy,” “Cyber Sex,” and “Streets.” She notched her first No. 1 single on the Billboard Hot 100 chart with “Say So.”
In 2021, Doja Cat released Planet Her, which contained other hit songs including her SZA collab “Kiss Me More” and the popular “Woman” and “Get Into It (Yuh).” In 2022, she and SZA both won their first Grammy Award for “Kiss Me More.”
Doja Cat’s next album is inspired by German raves
Doja Cat has been working hard since the release of Amala in 2018, releasing three studio albums in a span of three years. She’s been hard at work at her fourth LP, which she spoke more about in a September 2022 interview with CR Fashion Book.
“We just have so many ideas and making those ideas consistent is the challenge right now,” she said of the project. “I can’t really tell much. I just know there’s a lot going on.”
She went on to share how rave culture has inspired the album. “I’m very into this ’90s German rave kind of vibe right now and it’s really fun,” she said. “I know that’s kind of the trend at the moment but I loved that stuff as a kid and now that I can express it (obviously, I couldn’t buzz my head and wear a furry bra and have a belly button piercing back then), I’m sort of embracing that.”
“That’s kind of a hint to the album. Rave culture, not house,” she added.
She previously said her album would be rap
The rave direction that Doja is taking for her fourth album is a new development, considering what she’s said previously about the project. In a May 2022 interview with Elle, the “Juicy” rapper said that the album would be mostly rap, with less pop influences than her last two records. At the time, however, she hadn’t started recording the album.
“I haven’t started just because of all the rehearsal and touring. I’ve got a lot going on, but it’s coming up,” she said. “I have been getting songs and things sent to me… Oh f***, I wish I could tell people! There’s some really cool stuff that I got sent from friends. They’re all working on beats, and I’m giving them notes and they know what I want, so I’m excited.”
