Amalaratna Zandile Dlamini, better known by her stage name Doja Cat is a hip hop and R&B artist hailing from Los Angeles. However, reading about Doja Cat is far less exciting than actually seeing and hearing Doja Cat for yourself!

But  we’ll try our best to articulate what makes her so incredibly unique and likable.

Doja Cat originally shot to fame with her 2018 hit single “Mooo!”, the video for which has garnered over 60 million views on Youtube. The video features the rapper/singer wearing a skintight black and white cow costume in front of a crudely devised green-screen that alternates between shots of cartoon cheeseburgers and various Youtube meme videos featuring cows.

Doja can be heard repeating the hook “B***h, I’m a cow, b***h, I’m a cow, I’m not a cat, I don’t say meow” while sipping on a strawberry milkshake through a straw, and stuffing french fries up her nose over a repetitive trap-style drum beat accompanied by winding guitar melodies. At this point you should have already guessed that the least remarkable aspect of Doja Cat is the production of her music.

So how exactly does one jump from making provocative low-budget music videos on Youtube to performing at Coachella in a span of two years?

Doja’s music is incredibly hard to categorize, and would leave your average music critic/reviewer scratching their head. Her albums have been referred to as brilliantly diverse by some, and as an unfocused mess by others.

However, Doja Cat doesn’t seem too concerned with what others think of her work. It’s evident she doesn’t play by the rules or require the validation of people that don’t “get” her music.

Stating “Deep down, I take myself very seriously, but on the outside I like to make people feel like it’s OK to be who the f*** you are because that’s what I do. I think it’s OK to be lighthearted in your career. Don’t be afraid to relax and make a f***ing joke once in a while”.

It’s the carefree nature of her work that draws people to Doja Cat. In today’s hyper-aware society where all art is expected to undergo rigorous scrutiny and analysis of some sort, Doja Cat defies convention, and she does it with a can-do attitude and bubbly personality.

Raised by a singled-mother, Dlamini dropped out of high school in the 11th grade and began dancing to hip hop music with a breakdancing crew. Following her entry into the local hip hop scene, Doja began writing, rapping, singing, and producing music herself.

Her go-getter attitude means not everyone is on board with what she does. Stating “Sometimes it’s hard for some people to understand because I do out-of-pocket s*** all the time. I’m a little weird, sometimes hip-hop is a little more streamlined. It’s formulaic, and I have to respect that. Honestly, I’m 50/50. I do pop music and I rap on top”

Nobody knows what to expect next from Doja Cat. But you can certainly count on it being different from anything else currently gracing the hip hop and R&B charts.