The Queen of Rap has returned.
Doja Cat has sensationally unveiled a striking new promotional visual for her highly anticipated fifth album, “Vie”, and its lead single, “Jealous Type.”
The 29-year-old artist, born Amala Ratna Zandile Dlamini, embodied an ’80s-inspired, high-class escort for the provocative shoot, establishing a dedicated hotline for fans to call or text.
A renowned chameleon of style, the “Say So” star was nearly unrecognizable with voluminous blonde hair and bold blue eyeshadow.
Yet, this ’80s aesthetic will hardly surprise her devoted fanbase, as Doja has spoken at length about the decade’s influence on her upcoming record.
She first teased this inspiration with her look at this year’s Met Gala, a collaboration with designer Marc Jacobs, who has since featured a snippet of “Jealous Type” in his own campaign.
Doja Cat sent fans wild with this first official promotional image for her new album and era, promoting leading single, “Jealous Type”
“I just wanted to feel like a little gangsta, I just wanted to feel like the madam,” she told Teyana Taylor and Ego Nwodim on fashion’s biggest night in May.
“And I feel like [Marc Jacobs] brought that, like the strong shape to the shoulder. All of the exaggerated shapes I feel like he’s the master of… I feel like I’ve just been inspired mostly by the ’80s a lot lately, so this was kind of what I wanted to incorporate.”
Subsequently, in July, Doja revealed to V Magazine that her new album, “Vie” — the French word for “life” — would feature a heavy ’80s influence.
“I have so many things that float around in my brain when it comes to the ’80s,” she explained.
Born in 1995, the “Paint the Town Red” star conceded that she has “no experience of the ’80s or any relation to it in that sense,” but this has not deterred her from romanticizing the era.
She views the ’80s as “a dream world concept, or dream-core,” and clarified her intent to “play with that nostalgia by using these Lo-Fi sounds and samples and things that reminded you of something from your childhood, but it wasn’t on the nose ’80s.”
Doja has been clear with fans that her fifth album carries an ’80s aesthetic
Doja Cat recently returned to the image of her “Hot Pink” era at iHeartRadio’s Wango Tango in May this year
“Vie” will follow her successful but critically misunderstood fourth album, “Scarlet.”
The 2023 album was a 17-track project that faced several controversies.
The album’s release was shadowed by last-minute changes to its artwork and rumors that Doja Cat was having a “meltdown” and disliked her fans—claims she strongly denied.
Musically, “Scarlet” showcased a harder-edged sound compared to her previous pop-leaning albums.
Doja proudly included “no features,” underscoring her desire to carry an entire album on her own.
The lead single, “Paint the Town Red,” was a massive commercial success, becoming her first solo number-one hit on the US Billboard Hot 100, the UK Singles Chart, and the Billboard Global 200.
