“It don’t need your lovin’, it just needs attention.”
This lyric is pulled from Doja Cat’s song, “Attention,” one of her lead singles from her fourth studio album, Scarlet. Over the course of the release of this album, Doja has received lots of attention from the media. Many people were shocked about statements she had made towards fans, as well as portraying a “demonic” persona. I’ve been a huge Doja Cat fan since her release of “Mooo!” in 2019. The unseriousness of that song is initially what drew me in. The whole idea was about being a cow, yet something about it made it extremely addicting to sing along to. Her versatility and artistic style amazed me, and I’ve since developed a huge love for Doja and her music. I’ve spent countless hours listening to every single song she’s made, including her dozens of unreleased projects. After the success of Planet Her, I was desperate for another album, which she then delivered. I may be a little biased, but the songs on Scarlet didn’t disappoint, and there are no skips on my end. After finding out she was going on tour for this album, I knew I had to see her live.
For the first time, I attended this concert alone. I always prefer going with a group of people to events, but this was a good opportunity to step outside of my comfort zone. I arrived at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY around 6:00 p.m. and waited for the doors to open at 6:30 p.m. The security process was extremely easy, and I promptly found my seat while other audience members bought food and merch or used the bathroom. Immediately, I was amazed by my view, and I knew I made an amazing seat choice. Waiting for the show to begin, I looked around at all the fans and noticed everyone’s creative outfits. Most outfits consisted of red, in reference to her song, “Paint the Town Red,” black lace, white, and cow onesies/prints in reference to her song, “Mooo!” After a while, seats filled up and Doja Cat’s opener, Ice Spice, came onstage at 7:45 p.m.
Along with Doja Cat, I was also excited to see Ice Spice. Her growth to fame was quick, but her music is super fun to listen to and dance to. She wore a cute leather mini skirt with a cropped bomber leather jacket that was absolutely adorable. She performed all of her notable songs, including but not limited to, “Gangsta Boo,” “Princess Diana,” “Bikini Bottom,” “Munch,” and “Barbie World.” The audience brought extreme energy for Ice Spice, which set up a good foundation for how the rest of the show would turn out.
After a long wait, Doja Cat finally came onstage at 9:30 p.m. The hype from the audience was insane. She started her set off with “WYM Freestyle” from Scarlet, which is undoubtedly one of my favorite songs from the entire album, along with “Gun” and “Ouchies,” which she also performed. Throughout the concert, Doja split everything into acts, with most songs coming from Scarlet, popular songs from Planet Her and Hot Pink, and a cover of “Red Room” by Hiatus Kaiyote. During one of the set changes, she teased two of her unreleased songs, called “Whip” and “Shots.” I started smiling in my seat because “Whip” is one of the songs I’ve been annoyingly begging the universe for Doja to release since I first heard it back in 2020. It still gives me some hope that one day she will. The energy from the crowd was, again, incredible. Everyone knew every single word and kept the hype throughout the entire concert.
Being a Doja Cat fan comes with the knowledge that she loves being on the internet (maybe a little too much), and we’ve learned not to take anything she says seriously. Despite previous claims from Doja, stating that Planet Her and Hot Pink were “cash grabs,” Doja performed a few songs from those albums, such as “Streets,” “Kiss Me More,” “Say So,” and “Need To Know.” Regardless of Doja’s antics, she still has love for these albums and is simply just going through a period of change. In a recent interview on BBC Radio 1, she talked about how her mind is constantly changing and evolving. For example, the album title Scarlet was almost set to be Hellmouth, but she later changed her mind due to feeling like it was too aggressive and overall just stopped liking it over time. She enjoys transforming and is trying to find out more about who she is and her style. Her inability to stay in one place for a long time has translated into her music, which was a huge inspiration for Scarlet. This “new” Doja is just her attempting something different; it’s not like she’s ignoring her previous projects, but rather accepting change and being open to something new.
I was screaming every lyric loudly, amazed by Doja Cat’s stage presence. She is truly a performer. I was able to tell that she has extreme passion for every song she sings, and this translated into her physical movement. A huge part of what put this concert together was also the background dancers, and they should be acknowledged. I could see that the dancers had a strong connection with each other and with Doja, which made them one onstage. They never missed a beat and they were all in sync. The dancer who performed as Scarlet herself also did an amazing job of embodying the character. It was entertaining to see Doja and Scarlet dance together, almost mimicking going head-to-head on stage. The visual effects on the jumbotron, light, and sound production, and set design were all incredible. My overall experience was definitely a 10 out of 10.
At 10:30 p.m, Doja Cat left the stage and I was left in awe about what I’d just witnessed. Shortly after, I immediately headed to the merch booth to grab a shirt, because I knew I couldn’t leave empty-handed. Her merch consists of inside jokes that reflect Doja’s humor. I grabbed a t-shirt that says, “Doja Cat does love her fans,” with, “I think, idk” written in small letters on the bottom, because it honestly made me laugh. After a long, tiring night of kicking my feet in my bed while scrolling through all of the photos and videos I took, I woke up the next morning to Doja Cat posting on her Instagram, stating, “best night award goes to brooklyn,” which pretty much wraps up my entire Scarlet Tour experience.