Hot Pink is the second studio album by American rapper and singer Doja Cat. It was released on November 7, 2019, by Kemosabe Records and RCA Records. A departure from the sound of her debut album Amala (2018), Hot Pink is a pop, hip-hop, and R&B record containing elements of funk and soul. The album features production from Doja herself, Yeti Beats, Tyson Trax, and others, with guest appearances from Smino, Gucci Mane, and Tyga.
The album received generally favorable reviews from music critics, who praised Hot Pink for its versatility and incorporation of various music genres. Hot Pink was famed for its longevity and ability to produce singles long after its release, spawning seven singles between 2019 and 2021. In 2020, "Say So" became Doja Cat's first number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100 after being remixed by rapper Nicki Minaj. In early 2021, "Streets" became a sleeper hit and entered the top 20 of the Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart, as well as the top ten on the Billboard Global 200.
In May 2020, Hot Pink peaked at number nine on the US Billboard 200, becoming Doja Cat's first top 10 entry on the chart. It has been certified double platinum in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The album peaked in the top 40 of 12 other countries including the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, Sweden and Norway. It was nominated for Favorite Soul/R&B Album at the 2020 American Music Awards and Top R&B Album at the 2021 Billboard Music Awards.
Background and conception Doja Cat first achieved mainstream success as an internet "meme star" in August 2018 with the single "Mooo!". The consequent revival of material from her existing catalog earned Doja Cat her first two entries on the Billboard Hot 100, namely a 2019 remixed version of "Juicy" featuring Tyga, and "Candy". Doja Cat told the Los Angeles Times that she wanted Hot Pink to earn her more respect as a rapper. In March 2019, her debut album Amala (2018) was repackaged into a deluxe version featuring the solo version of "Juicy", as well as "Mooo!" and "Tia Tamera". Within the next two months, Doja Cat revealed that she was finishing up her next album, stating that she'd "never been this excited about an album in [her] life". Doja Cat revealed the album's title in July 2019, and began sharing minor details in subsequent interviews. One week before the official release of the album, Doja Cat hinted at the release of new music via Instagram. On November 2, 2019, she officially announced Hot Pink via her social networks. With this, Doja Cat also revealed its track listing and cover.
Doja Cat has frequently expressed disdain for her debut studio album Amala, stating that she believes it is not a "finished album" and that it does not entirely represent her as an artist. She has also stated that constantly partying and being under the influence of marijuana during its recording did not aid her in "perceiv[ing] what was going on musically". While recording Hot Pink, Doja Cat ceased to smoke marijuana and subsequently discovered that her songwriting improved significantly. She found that she had felt "more concise and clear and levelheaded." In an interview with Paper, she referred to Hot Pink as a firm restart for her career, and the most "refined, chiseled" representation of herself. Doja Cat's escapist fantasy worldview is reflected in the music by its upbeat production style. The record was inspired by some drastic lifestyle changes, and sees Doja Cat finally "coming into [her] own" and embracing her strengths as an artist. On the concept of the record, she said:
However, in 2023 Doja Cat ended up describing the album, along with the following outing Planet Her, as "mediocre pop" and "a cash grab".
Music and lyrics
Hot Pink is a pop, hip-hop and R&B record, with songs varying widely in genre. The songs contain elements of rap-disco, electropop, pop-punk and emo rap. The album was praised for its versatility, genre fluidity, and quirky lyricism. Doja Cat's usage of double-entendres and declaratives in addition to frequent pop-culture references caused the record to be described as a witty, irreverent, transgressive encapsulation of her abilities. Joshua Espinoza of Complex noted that it "delivers everything fans love about Doja Cat: catchy beats, sex-positive messages, and a hefty dose of humor". On its influences and variety of genres, Doja Cat said: "Yeah, this album is a lot more African influenced. I can sample Blink-182 but put an African vocal sample in there. The whole song feels like you're in a tropical forest."
Hot Pink opens with "Cyber Sex", in which Doja Cat expresses her desires to engage in the titular virtual sex encounter. This is followed by the African-influenced song "Won't Bite" featuring Smino, which samples the song "My Angel (Malaika)" by Miriam Makeba and Harry Belafonte, and was "made with Donald Glover's handiwork in mind." A fully rap song in "Rules" follows, which Nerisha Penrose of Elle found to be influenced by Kendrick Lamar, with Doja Cat making statements such as "Said play with my pussy, but don't play my emotions". The fourth song, "Bottom Bitch" samples the 1999 Blink-182 song "What's My Age Again?" and was noted to have taken on a more punk approach to pop, while also being inspired by the punk rock and skating scene of Southern California. On the fifth track, "Say So", Doja Cat gives a nod to the 1970s, as she "seamlessly switches between floaty vocals and skilfully contained flows over a disco-inspired beat". It is followed by "Like That" featuring rapper Gucci Mane, an upbeat R&B, hip hop song.
Doja Cat described the seventh track, "Talk Dirty", as "angelic" and "heavenly". It is followed by the disco-influenced song "Addiction", which features "heavyweight synths", and "voguish '90s-inspired R&B". "Streets", the ninth track on the album, was described as a melancholy R&B ballad that sees Doja Cat "in her most serious form". This track is followed by "Shine", which was praised for its unique use of Auto-Tune and its "enchanting blend of rap and breathy lullaby". "Better Than Me", the eleventh track, was noted for "mix[ing] emo-rap with a sultry pop diva croon". The album closes with the remix of "Juicy", which contains guest vocals from rapper Tyga. It boasts a "fun, playful and devilishly flirtatious melody".
Promotion
Singles Over time, Hot Pink became known for its longevity and ability to produce singles long after its release, ultimately spawning seven singles and accompanying music videos from a total of the twelve tracks included on the album. A remixed version of the single "Juicy" featuring Tyga served as Hot Pink's lead single after being released on August 15, 2019, alongside an accompanying music video. Directed by Jack Begert, the remix's music video sees Doja Cat dressed in a number of food-inspired costumes such as a sliced watermelon, a cherry sundae, and a pitcher of lemonade. The remix debuted at number 83 on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming Doja Cat's first career entry on the chart. Following the album's release in November 2019, it later re-entered the same chart at number 67. The song later reached a new peak of number 41 in February 2020, also peaking at number two on the Rhythmic chart.
The second single from Hot Pink, titled "Bottom Bitch", was released on October 3, 2019. Its release coincided with that of its accompanying music video, which sported a "girl-power, [...] early-aughts pop-punk" aesthetic and featured a variety of "teenage hijinks" including skateboarding, egging, vandalism and pranking police officers. Coinciding with the official announcement of the album on social media, the album's third single, "Rules", was released on October 24, 2019, along with a music video in which Doja Cat portrays a reptilian mafia boss. The single reached number 19 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart. The fourth single and music video, "Cyber Sex", were released on November 7, 2019, the same day as Hot Pink. "Cyber Sex" was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America in 2020.
Originally appearing as an album track on Hot Pink, "Say So" became a sleeper hit after gaining popularity on the social media platform TikTok, where a dance created by user Haley Sharpe went viral. Initially entering the Billboard Hot 100 at number 96 with no label promotion or radio airplay, it began to climb the charts after being sent to US contemporary hit radio and serviced as the fifth single from the album. This was followed by an accompanying music video on February 27, 2020, which features cameo appearances from Sharpe alongside fellow TikTok user Donté Colley. The song marked Doja Cat's first song to reach the top 20, and later the top 10 on the US Billboard Hot 100, with the solo original version reaching number five. Following the release of the remix featuring rapper Nicki Minaj, released on May 1, 2020, "Say So" reached number one on the Hot 100, becoming both Doja Cat's and Minaj's first number one single. The song was a top 10 hit in 28 other countries, including the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
"Like That" featuring Gucci Mane was serviced as the sixth single from the album in early May 2020. The song was issued to rhythmic, contemporary hit, and urban contemporary radio formats throughout May 2020. A corresponding music video was released on June 25, 2020, and was described as "dreamy" and "intergalactic" while also being noted to channel Sailor Moon. In early 2021, an album track "Streets" became a sleeper hit after gaining popularity on TikTok where the corresponding #SilhouetteChallenge went viral. The song was pushed as the seventh single from Hot Pink after impacting contemporary hit radio in the United States in February. A corresponding music video directed by Christian Breslauer was released in early March 2021, starring American actor Kofi Siriboe as a taxi cab driver and Doja Cat as a display window mannequin as well as a reckless and seductive Spider-Man-like woman.
Tour and live performances
Doja Cat announced a concert tour of North American and Europe in support of the album, entitled the Hot Pink Tour, featuring support from rappers Ashnikko and BigKlit. Tickets for this tour sold out within ten minutes, yet it was postponed and later cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Making her late night television debut, Doja Cat performed "Juicy" on Late Night with Seth Meyers with Tyga on November 12, 2019. At the 37th AVN Awards in late January 2020, she performed the songs "Cyber Sex" and "Juicy". In early December 2020, she performed "Rules" for Boiler Room's Energy segment in London, England. Doja Cat performed "Say So" for the first time on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in February 2020. In early March 2020, she performed "Streets" for Vevo's 2020 Lift campaign, with one writer calling it Doja Cat's "latest step toward world domination". In a new artist campaign organized by MTV titled Push, Doja Cat performed "Say So" and "Juicy" in April 2020. For a continuation of the Vevo Lift campaign, a live performance of "Say So" was uploaded to YouTube in May 2020. Doja Cat performed "Say So" on The Voice, wearing a pink '70s inspired costume and performed on top of a giant disco ball. She performed the song at the 2020 BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend 2020 a few days later. She performed it once again on The Late Late Show with James Corden in June 2020.