‘Planet Her’ by Doja Cat: New Release Review

Doja Cat was the MVP of 2020

No artist over the course of the last year has had more commercial and critical acclaim than Doja Cat. Hot Pink, her second album that came out in November 2019 boasted hits of the summer, like “Say So” and “Juicy.” “Say So,” specifically became a huge pop hit, earning Doja Cat her first number one song. Critics and fans praised Doja for her undeniable talent of talent, being able to seamlessly transition between genres almost mid-song. Every song seems like it has a different energy and she is able to go into many worlds without seeming to compromise anything. It’s that talent that lends her to create hits almost out of thin air.

She has become a favorite of her peers as well, hopping on tracks with Ariana Grande, Ari Lennox, Chloe x Halle and more all last year.

Now she’s back with own new project entitled Planet Her. Planet Her has been in the works for a couple months as she has been teasing and promoting the album in interviews and social media. Her last few award show performances have also been teasing an outer space theme to her next project.

On April 9, she released the first single off this album “Kiss Me More” with SZA, alongside a music video.

The song seems to be an extension of the vibes of Hot Pink, a pop ballad with upbeat synths and a warm bassline. The chorus is fun and extremely catchy, in addition to a provocative verse from SZA. The album, however, does not stay in this same lane, as expected. The album has many genres all melded together, but they all somehow work. 

THE ALBUM REVIEW

The album begins with “Woman“; major Ganja Burn vibes. An Afrobeats track that introduces us to the world she is taking us to while also being a shoutout to her South African heritage. A welcome return to the versatility of herself as an artist. We immediately are then jolted into a totally different genre with “Naked,” a pop-R&B blend with chilling synths and a haunting choral sample in the background. Her delivery is refined as she slides through her entire verse.

“Payday” was the first track where we see a featured artist, this time from Young Thug with a surprisingly creative flow and subject matter. We are fully on Planet Her by this point in the album where the song has a somewhat spacey feel, along with a chorus where she adopts an almost alien-like cadence. However, there are more features throughout the project like “I Don’t Do Drugs” with now frequent collaborator Ariana Grande. A trap-pop song about love so intoxicating, it feels like a high.

One of the highlights of the album is the track “Alone,” which is one of the more introspective tracks on the project. A song about love lost and getting over a hard breakup. Her verse on this track is the  most forceful and serious on the entire album and adds some depth to an album that is different in production but very similar in content.

Overall, while not as good or transformative as Hot Pink, this album has a consistent theme and some of Doja’s most interesting and creative flows, cadences and production choices. She is now solidified as a pop star in this modern era and I can’t wait to see what she does in the future. 

PLANET HER Rating: Silver

Demetrius Sadler| Twitter: @thademigod7