Cover Pop-rap superstar Doja Cat turns 31. (Photo: Getty Images)
Pop-rap superstar Doja Cat turns 31. (Photo: Getty Images)
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Ahead of Doja Cat’s birthday on October 21, here are five of the Grammy-winning popstar’s duets and features that blended genres and pushed creative boundaries
Since breaking into the mainstream with her debut album Amala in 2018, Doja Cat has proved to be more of a genre chameleon than a conventional pop star. Her collaborative discography has paired her rap proficiency and vocal elasticity with artists spanning dark R&B, disco-pop, hyperpop and underground trap.
In celebration of the Kiss Me More singer’s 31st birthday on October 21, we look into five collaborations where Doja subverted expectations, made chart history and pushed the boundaries of pop music.
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‘Tia Tamera’, featuring Rico Nasty
Above Oversized neon props, colour-blocked 1990s tracksuits and surreal game-show sets echo the track’s bass-heavy bounce and cartoonish sound effects
Released in February 2019 as a single on the deluxe edition of Amala, Tia Tamera paired Doja with Washington DC rapper Rico Nasty, two artists who were then disrupting female hip-hop with eccentric, internet-native aesthetics. Named after twin actresses Tia and Tamera Mowry, the single achieved RIAA Gold certification and established Doja’s standing within alternative rap circles prior to her mainstream pop crossover.
Driven by a minimalist, bass-heavy trap beat co-produced by Doja and Yeti Beats, the executive producer of her debut EP and first four albums, the track relies on cartoonish sound effects and heavy synth-percussion. It went against the polished, radio-friendly tropes of late-2010s mainstream rap with its raw punk-rap delivery, humorous pop-culture references and abrasive vocal deliveries.
‘Best Friend’, with Saweetie
Above The duo is draped in glittering couture alongside a custom rhinestone-encrusted Jeep
Released in January 2021 as a lead single from Saweetie’s project Pretty B*tch Music, Best Friend earned a nomination for Best Rap Song at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards. The track achieved double-platinum status from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and peaked at No 14 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming a radio staple across both pop and urban formats.
Built on a high-tempo West Coast hyphy bassline and bouncing club percussion, the composition leans on quick-turn verse trading and syncopated vocal hooks. Rather than relying on standard club-rap themes, the lyrics playfully explore women’s financial autonomy and female camaraderie.
‘Kiss Me More’, featuring SZA
Above Doja and Sza as celestial goddesses
The Grammy-winning single from Planet Her (2021), featuring Doja’s R&B counterpart Sza, broke the record for the longest-running top-ten female collaboration in Billboard Hot 100 history, spending 27 consecutive weeks inside the top ten.
Interpolating structural elements of Olivia Newton-John’s Physical, the track fuses soft disco, R&B harmonies and funk basslines under a breezy mid-tempo groove. It pushed genre boundaries by blurring the distinction between pop and R&B radio formats—much like Mariah Carey did in the Nineties—as Sza’s vocal textures play against Doja’s staccato rap cadence to create a futuristic pop sound that would influence mainstream production in the coming years.
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‘You Right’, with The Weeknd
Above The visuals use astrological symbolism and CGI to depict the struggle between desire and restraint
Doja joined forces with Canadian superstar The Weeknd for the second single from Planet Her. The track reached the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100 and amassed over half a billion streams globally, demonstrating Doja’s ability to anchor a dark, conceptual duet alongside one of pop’s biggest figures.
The composition uses atmospheric synth pads, muted trap drums, and a slow-burning neo-noir R&B arrangement. Rather than framing the song around romantic tropes typical of pop duets, the track is a tense psychological dialogue on infidelity and temptation, delivered through complex vocal layering and rapid-fire melodic rap-singing.
‘Payday’, featuring Young Thug
Above A fast-paced, video game-inspired beat powered by bubbly synths and playful verses
Another highlight from Planet Her, Payday brought together Doja and Atlanta trap pioneer Young Thug. Though never formally pushed as a commercial radio single, the track received praise from critics for its bold sonic architecture and vocal experimentation.
Built on frantic hyperpop synths and pitch-shifted vocal samples, the song merges underground electronic beats with mainstream rap, allowing both artists to engage in uninhibited vocal gymnastics—Doja shifting between squeaky falsetto and rapid flows, while Young Thug cooks up eccentric vocal inflections.
Cyril Ip is the Features Editor at Tatler Hong Kong, where he drives digital strategy and produces in-depth features across print and online platforms. Specialising in contemporary Chinese culture, lifestyle and music, he leverages audience analytics to inform incisive storytelling while spearheading branded content collaborations with luxury houses and major cultural institutions.
Shaped by years in Britain, Hong Kong and mainland China, Cyril brings a multifaceted background spanning media, music and publicity. His career includes four years covering culture and diplomacy at the South China Morning Post, as well as leading international campaigns for Chinese singer Tia Ray.
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