Amalaratna Zandile Dlamini (born October 21, 1995), known professionally as Doja Cat, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. Born in Los Angeles, she signed a recording contract with RCA Records in 2014, subsequently releasing her debut extended play, Purrr!, and a series of singles, including "Go To Town", "So High" and "Tia Tamera". Doja Cat rose to prominence in 2018 with her single "Mooo!", which became a viral success on YouTube.
Her debut studio album, Amala, released in 2018 and a deluxe repackage in 2019. She released the single "Juicy" in August 2019 which debuted at number 83 on the US Billboard Hot 100, earning Doja Cat her first entry on the chart. "Juicy" later peaked at #45 on the same chart. In November 2019, Doja Cat released her second studio album, Hot Pink.
Her father, Dumisani Dlamini, is a South African actor, composer and film producer best known for Sarafina!. Her Jewish-American mother, Deborah Elizabeth Sawyer, is a painter, and her grandmother was an artist as well. She studied piano and danced as a child and teenager. Her brother would rap to her and she would listen which motivated her to develop her writing and rapping skills. She is noted to be inspired by Nicki Minaj, Erykah Badu, Pharrell Williams, Jamiroquai, Drake and PARTYNEXTDOOR.