Amala Ratna Zandile Dlamini, professionally known as Doja Cat, was born on October 21, 1995, in Los Angeles, California. She is the daughter of Deborah Sawyer, a painter, and Dumisani Dlamini, an actor.
As a teenager, Doja Cat began creating and releasing music on SoundCloud, which eventually caught the attention of Kemosabe and RCA Records. At the age of 17, she signed a joint record deal with the labels and released her debut EP, Purrr! in 2014.
After a hiatus from music, Doja Cat released her debut studio album, Amala, in 2018. The album featured the single "Mooo!", which gained viral success as an internet meme. The song was later included on the deluxe version of her debut album, along with the singles "Juicy" featuring Tyga and "Tia Tamera" featuring Rico Nasty, which were both released in 2019.
Doja Cat's second studio album, Hot Pink, was released in 2019 and reached the top 10 of the US Billboard 200. The album spawned the single "Say So", which was certified multi-platinum and topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart after the release of a remix featuring Nicki Minaj.
In 2020, Doja Cat collaborated with Ariana Grande on the song "Motive" and later featured on the remix of Ariana's song "34+35" alongside Megan Thee Stallion. The song became her second to reach the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100. Her third song to achieve this feat was "Kiss Me More", which featured SZA and served as the lead single from her third studio album, Planet Her, scheduled for release in 2021.
Doja Cat is known for creating music videos and songs that achieve popularity on social media platforms such as TikTok and YouTube. She has been nominated for three Grammy Awards and has won two American Music Awards, as well as the MTV Video Music Award for Push Best New Artist and its European counterpart.
Forbes named Doja Cat as one of the top breakout stars of 2020 and listed her on their annual 30 under 30 list. She was also the fourth most-Googled musician of 2020.
