Amala Ratna Zandile Dlamini aka Doja Cat started out as a soundcloud muso. But today, this diva is dropping hits like nobody’s business. We’re talking award status, honey! 

After a couple of years trying to make it in music scene (it’s rough out there ya’ll), Doja Cat went viral on socials thanks to her song, Mooo, showcasing her mad rapping skills, creativity and ability to hit star-quality notes.  

But just as she was comin’ up, ‘cancel culture’ threatened her career after “racially insensitive” music and racial slurs she made when she was younger were made public. Doja soon apologised for her old songs and for participating in chat room sites but denied having been involved in racial conversations. Despite the backlash, the US-born rapper made it onto the prestigious 2021 Forbes Under 30 list. Forbes went as far as calling Doja “one of the top breakout stars of 2020”. Yaaas queen!  

Her third studio album, W Planet Her, sees the star experimenting with all-new sounds in an attempt to shift from mainstream music trends. She even likened the spanking-new musical style to travelling to outer space. Well, the album did break the Spotify record for the biggest opening day for an album by a female rapper. So, go-figure!  

She’s not your typical celeb, not shying away from speaking her mind, and it’s one of the many reasons Mzansi adores her. But when she revealed to actress Whoopi Goldberg that she didn’t have a relationship with her father (South African actor Dumisani Dlamini) it certainly had tongues wagging. She did acknowledge his existence though, earning her loads more sympathetic fans locally. Daddy-dearest has been heavily criticised for being an absent father. But recently, it’s Doja who was trolled to the max on socials after posting numerous humorous pics of herself not wearing makeup. In 2022? Seriously?  

But she didn’t let that get her down. It’s all about being her true self and not conforming to the industry standard. “If your only intent is to be seen, you’ll never be seen. If your intent is to be happy, comfortable, genuine, and true in craft, you’re destined to be noticed.” Yip, she said it!  

Words by: Melissa Ndlovu 

Photography: Unsplash, Instagram