Doja Cat’s career has always traced an unexpected path. She began with playful, almost throwaway experiments on SoundCloud, drew viral laughs with the internet meme hit “MOOO!”, and then vaulted to the global stage by blending strands of pop, hip-hop, and R&B. Her music has a way of chasing trends while simultaneously defying them, immersing itself in the moment yet transforming it into something entirely her own. The disco-funk bounce and dreamy vocals of “Say So” (2019) were a perfect crystallization of those strengths.

After reaching the peak of mainstream pop with “Say So,” her musical journey can be summed up as one of constant reinvention, friction, and redefinition of her own narrative. “Planet Her” (2021) captured the version of Doja Cat that audiences adored most—a dazzling showcase of genre-blending, high-profile collaborations, and irresistible melodies that solidified her stardom. But she didn’t stay there for long. The prospect of being consumed solely as a pop star left her dissatisfied.

Soon came provocative statements on social media and clashes with fans, which became part of her attempt to strip away the “pop star” label. “Scarlet” (2023) was the album that captured this very conflict. On it, she tore apart the image the public loved most and laid bare her foundations as a rapper. Instead of glossy melodies and familiar hooks, the record is filled with trap, boom bap, alternative hip-hop production, and unflinching bars. The result—prioritizing her artistic impulses over the expectations of her label and audience—left some listeners bewildered and divided the critics. “Scarlet” also reads as a sharp answer to those who had long questioned her legitimacy as a female rapper.

After the ferocious shedding of skins that “Scarlet” delivered, Doja Cat’s new album “Vie” finds her once again focused on crossing genre boundaries. As she noted this past July, promising it would be more “pop-driven” than “Scarlet,” “Vie” arrives steeped in pop flavors—but rooted in the sounds of the 1980s. The shimmering electronics of synth-pop, disco-driven rhythms, and today’s pop sensibilities collide here, creating a landscape where past and present intersect, often tinged with a retro texture that stirs nostalgia.

The lead single “Jealous Type” is the most emblematic, blending disco-pop, funk, and pop-rap. A smooth groove underpins the track, layered with airy synth pads, a springy bass line, and sharp, minimal snare-and-kick patterns that maintain a taut sense of tension. Doja channels the irregular waves of love and jealousy through her vocals, capturing the turbulence of those intertwined emotions. A fleeting vocal ad-lib in the final section leaves a lingering impression. Other tracks showcase the album’s musical range as well: “Cards” fuses modern funk with rap, “Stranger” brims with the refreshing mood of synth-pop, and “Take Me Dancing” pairs a sensual funk groove with SZA’s vocals in a sultry ode to seduction.

The album’s most pivotal production partner is Jack Antonoff. Though he emerged from a rock background, Antonoff has built an impressive footprint across pop and even hip-hop, and here he helps guide Doja Cat toward a more pop-driven, emotionally resonant sound. Their first collaboration proves striking: on tracks like “Aaahh Men!”, he samples the theme song from the 1980s TV series “Knight Rider,” shaping a dramatic, high-energy fusion of funk and hip-hop.

With Antonoff anchoring the production and a range of co-producers weaving in the backgrounds, Doja moves across the tracks as if dancing, laying her emotions bare. “Vie” is, at its core, an album about relationships, romance, and love in both its physical and emotional dimensions. During the making of the record, Doja reportedly attended therapy sessions twice a week, and the process left a major imprint on the music. She learned how human experience is shaped by both conscious and unconscious functions of the brain, and as a result, she allowed herself to express feelings she had once repressed or feared to show. One of the central themes running through the album—love bombing (the manipulative tactic of overwhelming someone with affection, praise, attention, and gifts early in a relationship to quickly gain control)—is something she explored through both direct and indirect experience.

On “Vie,” she often seems caught between love and choice, quick to jealousy, and wrestling with insecurities born from relationships. In those moments, the glamorous façade of the pop star gives way to the face of a human being. Her vocals shift with the emotions the music conveys—at times barren, at times sensual, at times like a chilling confession. Yet the album never feels weighed down. Beneath the outpourings of loneliness, anxiety, and jealousy lie tracks suffused with the joy of love and the pleasures of life, striking a delicate balance of mood.

Love is an act of throwing oneself into uncertainty. It can bring pain, but it also offers moments of rapture that make the risk worthwhile. “Vie” captures that uneven texture of love in all its rawness, while also reflecting the way Doja herself longs to love. She translates these themes into music that remains compelling, as if reminding us that life isn’t always meant to be taken so seriously. With a collection of songs that carry both the nostalgia of the past and the pulse of the present, Doja Cat once again proves her voice to be unmistakably her own, even amid the constant tug-of-war between emotion and style.