Doja Cat is the epitome of an empowered, sex-positive young woman in America. Her catchy and vibrant songs have caught the ears of many individuals over the last few years, leading her to international stardom. As an avid listener of Doja Cat, her funky beat and charismatic charm in her music weren’t the only things to catch my attention; her lyrics of sex-positivity and feminine sexuality reign above all qualities of her music. Listening to her music makes me feel empowered to take charge of my sexuality and embrace it more than ever, and I know I’m not the only fan of hers to feel that way.
Born with the name Amala Ratna Zandile Dlamini, Doja Cat was born and raised in Los Angeles, and started to release music on Soundcloud as a teenager. Although she’s been releasing music since 2014, it wasn’t until her single “Mooo!” (2018) was released that she gained even more attention from a wider fanbase, mostly thanks to TikTok. Since then, she’s released two more albums: Hot Pink (2019) and Planet Her (2021).
Although her lyrics may be rather straightforward and crassly sexual at times, I find them to be rather refreshing in this day and age. Doja Cat isn’t afraid to express herself in her music, making her songs more authentic and giving young women a good model of what sex-positive feminism can look like. ‘Boy, stop playing, grab my a** / Why you actin like you shy?’ is Doja’s way of calling out her love interest and saying that she doesn’t want to play any games in her song “Say So.” In “I Don’t Do Drugs,” Doja Cat isn’t scared to admit to her lover that he’s like a drug to her, saying that it’s ‘Hard for me to let you go / My body won’t let me hide it.’ Meanwhile she outright says in “Naked” that ‘You don’t need a pole to see me strip’, embracing the fact that being naked leads to more intimacy and sexual comfort with her partner.
Several of Doja Cat’s songs are incredibly empowering, but three in particular have always stood out to me. “Need to Know,” which got especially popular on Tik Tok, is what I call the ultimate horny girl song. It’s purely about lust and the overpowering desire to have sex with her latest love interest, leading to her fantaszing about what sex with him would be like. This song never ceases to put me in the mood to have a little fun and make that clear to my boyfriend. It’s also a great song to listen to with friends on a night out when you’re all feeling yourselves and want to get a little wild.
The next song that has stood out to me, especially since COVID-19 started, is from her 2019 album, Hot Pink; the song is “Cyber Sex.” Since certain cities all over the country were on major lockdown, some teenagers went months without seeing their significant others; I was one of those teenagers. Doja Cat sings about the idea of getting ‘freaky on camera,’ most likely referring to FaceTime sex, and offers an exciting activity she enjoys that she believes others may enjoy as well. I know that young couples and people in long distance relationships may have taken up that activity, especially when forced to not see each other for months during lockdown. This song is overall a hot take on how technology can be intertwined with our sex lives and how we can embrace the option to do so.
“Kiss Me More,” the song of the summer, is not only great for dancing and lively car rides, but also its overall message. Doja Cat is incredibly straightforward in this song, saying ‘I feel like f*ckin somethin / Or we could be corny, f*ck it,’ essentially expressing her desire to not only have sex with her partner but also to be a little silly and cheeky. She shows her audience how the combination of romance and sex can be electric; if you’re ever feeling flirty yet horny, this is the song for you.
Doja Cat isn’t the only artist to be straightforward about her desire for sex (look at Ariana Grande, Rihanna, Megan Thee Stallion, etc.), but she does the best job at putting her fans in her mindset. If you’re to take any lesson from her music, it should be not being afraid to embrace your desires and to go after what you want.