#godja

We said goodbye to Doja Cat's Scarlet period on August 21. This album made me feel a lot of different things, and honestly, I could probably talk about every single track for hours. While I could easily go into every song, I want to highlight five that really stood out to me.

There was a lot of talk about Scarlet. Doja acted like the world was out to get her and that cancel culture was right behind her. The record says a lot about anger, apathy, and even love.

Scarlet started off with "Demons," which was a direct response to what others were saying about her. People had a lot to say after her viral shaved-head moment, and she embraced the "demon" image instead of running away from it. It seems like this song was her way of declaring she's done with being a pop star who tries to make everyone happy and is now embracing her power. It had a "this is who I am, deal with it" vibe that really got me. I had to know what she was getting at.

Then "Attention" went away, and we got to see even more of that raw, unfiltered Doja. She called out the folks who said they were her fans but only liked the version of her past self and didn’t want to embrace the new version of herself. The tune had a hip-hop base and a slick funk feel to it. It made me remember how much I adore hearing stories through rap. She wasn't just rhyming for fun. She had something to say.

"Balut" was another song that came out before the album, and at first I didn't understand why she chose that one. I felt it was really smart once I listened to it a few times and learned why she called it Balut. It was as if she were saying that all the noise, criticism, and hostility were things she could handle and yet make something out of. Scarlet wanted her audience to know that all the hate and criticism was coming from the dreaded app, Twitter. The song became a great way to talk about how Twitter's toxic culture was dying, converting all that chaos into art.

Then there's "Love Life," which is a great surprise. She sings about how much she loves her life, her craft, and her actual followers in this song. People believe she hates her fans, yet this song states the opposite. It's apparent that she values the people who stayed with her and accepted her changes. "I love it when my fans love change, and that's how we change the game" and "Man, I love y'all big, and I love it when my life's like this" hit differently. That thankfulness is real.

Finally, I want to talk about “Can’t Wait.” It’s one of my favorite songs on the album, and honestly, I feel like I could go on about it forever. Doja opens up about love in a way that feels soft, intimate, and real. You don’t hear songs like this in hip-hop very often; ones that lean into tenderness without holding back. She sings about imagining a future with her partner, being fully present in that love, and it hit me in a personal way. As someone in a relationship, this is the kind of song I can share with my partner and say, “This is how I feel about us.” It captures that deep emotional bond in a way that’s both sweet and vulnerable, and that’s what makes it so special.

From beginning to end, Scarlet was a magnificent work of art. It made us angry, made us think, and made us fall in love. It was Doja who broke the norm, pushed her fans, and dared to be hated. I can't wait to see what Vie brings on the 26th of September. She’ll have done it again if it hits me like this one did.