Doja Cat has become one of the most interesting and eclectic modern Pop Stars since she rose to fame a few years ago. Ever since she broke onto the scene with her “meme song” smash hit ‘MOOO!’ back in 2018, she has shown incredible range as an artist in her output over the last few years. It seems Doja Cat can seamlessly slide into any genre or kind of music. Through the multitude of singles, she has released over the last few years and through her 2019 album Hot Pink, it seems like Doja Cat has messed around in every genre and modern style of music. Over the last few years, she has dabbled in various kinds of Pop, R&B, Trap, Rock, and even Country. At this point, I would not be surprised to hear her try anything. Because of her musical diversity, it is always exciting to hear what sounds Doja Cat is going to pursue next and it’s also exciting to hear the features she is going to use on her new songs. She may not be the absolute best at any one kind of music, but Doja Cat is very good at pretty much anything she tries. With that being said, here is my opinion on Doja Cat’s new record Planet Her. Please let me know in the comments below how you feel about this record, and also let me know in the comments what your favorite songs are from Planet Her.
The album starts with the song ‘Woman,’ which is literally a track about how great women are. This track highlights a lot of the reasons women are so great and how they help the world go around. Doja is singing to a man about all of the wonderful things she can do for him as a woman. The song has a Dancehall Pop feeling to it that reminds me of a lot of artists like Burna Boy or Wizkid. Doja Cat’s rap verse on ‘Woman’ almost feels like a feature because it stands out so much from the rear of the vocals. It is amazing how she can sound like multiple different artists on the same song. The next song ‘Naked,’ has a similar instrumental style to the song that precedes it. Instead of having a Dancehall melody feeling though, this track has more of a Caribbean riddim and Calypso sound to it. ‘Naked’ has a very similar beat style to ‘Woman'(which makes sense because Calypso and Caribbean Pop is derived from Dancehall), but the melody reminds me a lot of Caribbean island music. On ‘Naked,’ Doja Cat wants to get nude with her significant other and relieve all their stress. She can feel their anxious energy and feels that being naked together will ease this feeling. ‘Payday,’ which features Young Thug, has quickly become one of my favorite tracks from this record. It has a very bright and fun Melodic Trap instrumental that fits the vocal styles of Doja Cat and Young Thug very well. Both artists shine on this colorful melody and beat; Doja Cat and Young Thug both show off their ranges on this track. Overall, ‘Payday’ is a super enjoyable and cool track and anyone who enjoys Pop-Trap should be into it. Following this is ‘Get Into It(Yuh),’ which is a short and sweet R&B track that feels retro and modern at the same time. It has a retro-sounding beat but a quirky and futuristic sounding melody to it. On this track, Doja Cat sing-raps about how she is the best and how every man and woman wants her. It’s a fun and sexy track that I could see eventually becoming a club hit because of how catchy the instrumental is.
I got a man, but I want you. I got a man, but I want you. And it’s just nerves, it’s just dick. Makin’ me think ’bout someone new. You know I got so much to say. I try to hide it in my face and it don’t work. You see through that I just want get wit’ you. And you’re right… – ‘You Right’ feat. The Weeknd
I have to admit that there are a couple of songs that do seem like they are filler on this album, and the next song, ‘Need To Know,’ fits that mold in my opinion. I have heard that Doja Cat has stated she likes to chase hits and try her best to create that next tune everyone wants to dance and party to, and I think ‘Need To Know’ is an example of why this method can fail even for the best Pop artists periodically. ‘Need To Know’ is a Pop-Trap track with average production and not much sustenance vocally. ‘Need To Know’ is a typical Pop-Trap track with not a lot to remember it for, but it still has quality because Doja Cat is just good at what she does. Next, we get ‘I Don’t Do Drugs,’ which features Ariana Grande. This song is a great example of how good Doja Cat is at adapting to the sounds and styles of other artists. ‘I Don’t Do Drugs’ is a Trap tinted Pop banger that sounds like it could be on an Ariana Grande album. Doja Cat and Ariana Grande have excellent chemistry in this song. They the way their harmonies are set up sounds so nice, and I also really enjoy the various ad-libs provided throughout the track by both artists. This track really should be a fan favorite because both artists did exactly what they are supposed to do. ‘I Don’t Dream’ is one of many examples from this album of how diverse Doja Cat can be as an artist. This song has an Emo Trap and Cloud Trap sound, which is not a kind of music she has tried out too much yet in her career. This instrumental sounds like something that Juice Wrld or Lil Peep(RIP to them both) would have exceeded on. I have to say, Doja Cat sounds great on the instrumental; her tone and overall delivery flows seamlessly on it. Following this is another song that has become a fan favorite, ‘You Right’ featuring The Weekend. This track has an R&B Trap feeling to it which is pretty reminiscent of The Weeknd’s early work. This instrumental would have fit right in with tracklists of The Weeknd’s projects My Dear Melancholy, and The Beauty Behind the Madness. On this track, The Weeknd and Doja Cat are singing about being in a relationship but lusting over someone else. They knew they should be faithful, but are having a tough time not giving into these feelings. Once again, Doja Cat has excellent chemistry with her feature on ‘You Right.’ The Weeknd and Doja Cat’s voices compliment each other well, and they feed off of each others’ energy in a palpable way. ‘You Right’ is an all-around sexy jam that will be one of the long-lasting hits from this record.
‘Been Like This’ uses a similar instrumental style to the song that precedes it. This track also has a sultry R&B Trap instrumental. It does have a bit more of a dreamy and cloudy feeling to it though, reminding me a lot of SZA. In this song, Doja Cat can feel her love and admiration for her partner dwindling because she feels the person is changing. If it isn’t going to be how she wants it to be, she would rather not waste her time. ‘Options,’ which features JID, has more of a traditional Trap sound to it. I am sure that most Trap rappers today including JID himself would love to have this beat to themselves. Once again, Doja Cat shows off her diversity on ‘Options.’ She can rap just as well as she can sing, and this is a song that drives that. JID also excels on this instrumental, showing great chemistry with Doja Cat and making us listeners want new music from him. ‘Options’ is a great song and one of my favorites from Planet Her. ‘Ain’t Shit’ is another one that has become a fan favorite. This track has a very grand and dazzling melody and the beat sound like they came from the mid-2000s. It has a millennial feeling to it that a lot of her fans can relate to. Doja Cat’s vocals on this song truly stand out. The strange tones she decided to use while rapping on this song draw the listener in. ‘Ain’t Shit’ is a fun and sassy song that is bound to turn up anyone who hears it.
Can you kiss me more?. We’re so young, boy. We ain’t got nothin’ to lose. It’s just principle. Baby, hold me because I like the way you groove… ‘Kiss Me More’ feat. SZA
‘Imagine’ has a quirky and fun Pop-Trap sound that is reminiscent of Doja Cat’s early work. When she was first blowing up, she embraced vibrant and sweet Bubblegum-Trap, and this track fits that mold perfectly. When I heat ‘Imagine,’ it makes me think of Doja Cat’s early hits like ‘Go To Town’ and ‘Juicy.’ This song doesn’t push her boundaries in any way, but it does show she can still excel at what blew her up in the first place. Following this, we get ‘Alone,’ which is a track with an early 2000s Pop and R&B feeling to it. This track takes the listener back to the Y2K era; I could see artists like Christina Aguilera, Jewel, and Jordin Sparks excelling on this kind of instrumental back in the day. ‘Alone’ is another song where Doja Cat’s rap verse sounds like a feature. It’s wild how she can switch her vocals and delivery up so much that she sounds like a different artist. ‘Alone’ probably won’t go down as the most popular song from this record, but it is a sleeper bop which I will be putting in a playlist that has new music with Y2K elements. Doja Cat’s Planet Her ends with one of the songs of the year so far, ‘Kiss Me More’ featuring SZA. There is not much I should have to say about this song, as it has taken over in 2021 and has been one of the world’s most popular tracks since it came out. This track is a Pop/R&B banger that is insanely catchy and showcases everything about what makes Doja Cat great. This song is so vibrant and fun and it has so much personality; it is bound to make anyone who hears it want to dance. SZA’s chemistry with Doja Cat is perfect, and her voice provides an awesome contrast in this song. Overall, ‘Kiss Me More’ is a banger that will be one of the most remembered songs from 2021.
Doja Cat is an artist that has shown so much eclecticism and diversity throughout her career so far. It seems like there’s nothing she can’t do; from Pop to R&B to Hip Hop to Rock, Doja Cat can carve her lane in all kinds of music. I do wish she would push her boundaries a little more, though; in the interest of making sure everything she makes has a Dance-Pop feeling, it seems like she holds back at times and doesn’t dive all in when exploring less traditional sounds. She is still a developing artist, though, and is sure to keep reaching her potential in the coming years. Until that point, the world in general(myself included) will be more than okay with the plethora of Pop hits she has made so far.
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