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Lore & Background

Doja Cat began her career as a rapper in Los Angeles' underground scene, rising to prominence with the viral novelty song "Mooo!" in August 2018. After the pop and R&B-infused Hot Pink (2019) and Planet Her (2021), she faced criticism from social media users who felt she was "too pop" to be considered a rapper. In May 2022, she responded on Twitter: "Don't ever fuckin disrespect me as a rapper. After the last song I dropped, you will respect my pen." In a December Rolling Stone cover story, she said, "Anyone who says that I'm not a rapper is in denial." In an Elle interview from May 2022, she confirmed her fourth album would be "predominantly rap," and in April 2023 she stated "no more pop," denouncing her previous two albums as "cash grabs" and "digestible pop hits." Radio personality Ebro Darden heard eight songs in "early stages" in April 2023, reporting "I heard straight rap records." The album was reportedly finished in late August 2023, with the release announced three days later.

In Their Own Story

Leading up to the album, Doja Cat adopted a darker aesthetic, shaving her hair and eyebrows and getting tattoos including a creature from Fortunio Liceti's De monstris (1655) on her arm, a scythe around her ear, and a bat skeleton on her back, which she said symbolized a "new beginning." She wore red contact lenses and blood-like makeup, expressing similar imagery in the music videos for "Attention" and "Paint the Town Red." Critics called these changes "demonic," accusing her of Satanism and Illuminati membership. She tweeted in February 2023 that she enjoyed "playing with people's ignorance and stupidity for my own happiness and personal gain," and in April 2023 told fans "Your fear is not my problem." Jason King of All Things Considered wrote that on Scarlet, Doja Cat "delights in playing the 'demon' her haters and fans accuse her of being." The album's title went through several changes—Hellmouth in March 2023, First of All in May—before being revealed as Scarlet in an August 16, 2023 Harper's Bazaar article. "Scarlet" is an alter ego symbolizing rebirth and "the birth of a new creative, or new thought, or new way of style." The character debuted nude and painted head-to-toe in red blood in the "Attention" music video, with wax figures appearing in New York City and Chicago.

Reader's Guide

Scarlet produced two singles. The lead single, "Paint the Town Red," became Doja Cat's first solo number-one on the US Billboard Hot 100, the UK Singles Chart, and the Billboard Global 200, among others. It was followed by the top-ten single "Agora Hills." Promotional singles included "Attention," "Demons," and "Balut." The album peaked at number four on the US Billboard 200, becoming Doja Cat's third top-ten entry. It received mostly positive reviews, with critics praising its production, lyrics, and versatility compared to her previous albums. To support the album, Doja Cat embarked on The Scarlet Tour, her first arena tour as a headliner. A reissue titled Scarlet 2 Claude was released on April 5, 2024, adding features from Teezo Touchdown and ASAP Rocky. The album's cover art, designed by American artist Dusty Ray, features two pearlescent arachnids—an "updated" version after the original single-pink-arachnid cover was noted to be nearly identical to the cover of Chaver's Of Gloom. Scarlet is the first Doja Cat album where she does not appear on the cover.

Did You Know?

• Doja Cat originally considered naming the album Hellmouth, then First of All, before settling on Scarlet.
• The album's cover art was designed by Dusty Ray, who also designed the nearly identical cover for German metalcore band Chaver's Of Gloom.
• Scarlet is Doja Cat's first studio album without any featured artists since her 2018 debut studio album Amala.
• Doja Cat shaved her hair and eyebrows and got a tattoo of a creature from Fortunio Liceti's 1655 book De monstris for this era.
• The album's lead single 'Paint the Town Red' became Doja Cat's first solo number-one on the US Billboard Hot 100.