Planet Her is the third studio album by Doja Cat, released by Kemosabe and RCA Records on June 25, 2021. Doja confirmed the album title on Twitter by tweeting "Planet Her" three times[1][2][3] and changing her username to such a few times. The album features guest appearances by Ariana Grande, The Weeknd, Young Thug, JID, and SZA, as well as production from frequent collaborators Yeti Beats and Tizhimself, among others. Eve and Gunna are featured on the deluxe version of the album.
A concept album, it is based upon the titular fictional planet self-originated by Doja Cat on which all species and races of space exist in harmony. She emphasised the visual aspect of the record and has described it as her most visually captivating project yet, prioritising its cohesion by ensuring that each associated music video occurs on different locations across the planet.
The album's lead single, "Kiss Me More" featuring SZA, was released on April 9, 2021, and reached the top five on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, as well as in Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia. The second single, "You Right" with The Weeknd, was announced on April 22 and released with the rest of the album on June 25.[4] A promotional single, "Need To Know", was released on June 11, 2021.
Background[]
Doja Cat had released her second studio album Hot Pink in November 2019, and spent most of the year 2020 promoting the album and its singles. She first introduced the concept of "Planet Her" during the opening sequence of her performance at the 2020 MTV Video Music Awards, where she impersonated a television commentator and stated "Performing live on Planet Her is Doja Cat. Enjoy!"[5][6] Following the performance, she told MTV that her then-untitled third studio album would incorporate multiple music genres including dancehall, afrobeat, funk and house, also stating that each song has its own "personality."[7][8] Later in September 2020, Doja Cat revealed that her third studio album was complete and "all ready" for release.[9][10]
She also told iHeartRadio in December that it has a number of features and collaborations, and that each song has a "different kind of vibe" to one another.[11] In late December 2020, Doja Cat began teasing the album on Twitter, using the phrase "Planet Her 2021."[12][13] On January 5, 2021, Doja Cat followed eight musicians on her Twitter account, and subsequently tweeted "Following them for a reason. Guess why.", alluding to imminent collaborations with the followed artists. The title of the album, Planet Her, was confirmed in an interview with American magazine V in March 2021. The track "Kiss Me More," featuring SZA, was confirmed in the same interview. "Kiss Me More" went on to become the lead single from the album; it was released on April 9, 2021.
It topped the charts in New Zealand, Malaysia and Singapore, and also reached the top 5 in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and seven other countries. In the same month, Doja Cat revealed that the song "You Right" with the Weeknd would serve as the second single from Planet Her. The track "Need to Know" was also revealed at the same time. On June 8, 2021, Doja Cat announced that "Need to Know" would serve as the first promotional single from the record, announcing the release date as June 11. The day after, June 9, she announced the album's release date as June 25, the artwork and the track listing via Instagram. The album was made available to pre-order on the same day "Need to Know" was released on June 11, 2021.
Composition[]
Meaghan Garvey of Billboard wrote that, on Planet Her, Doja Cat "tones down the genre-hopping experimentation of Hot Pink, but she doesn’t sacrifice its playful versatility, celebrating her femininity and reveling in her sense of humor."[14]
Concept[]
In an interview with Audacy, Doja Cat explained that Planet Her is "the center of the universe," where "all races of space exist and it's where all species can kind of be in harmony there." She noted that by naming the album Planet Her, she was "just trying to be cute" and clarified that it is not a planet for women nor a "feminist thing." Doja Cat also stated in the same interview that the music videos for the singles from the album would all occur on different locations on Planet Her. In an interview with iHeartRadio, she described the album as the most visually captivating project she has ever done, and noted that, because the album focuses on relationships, "it's not a huge statement, not a political statement. It's just Planet Her, for girls." Creative director Brett Alan Nelson revealed that he initially felt worried when Doja Cat told him that she wanted the record to "feel space age," however he explained further: "We're doing a style of futurism that feels fresh. We don't know what our actual future holds, so we are making what Doja Cat's future is. It doesn’t feel like we're paying homage to something; it doesn't seem like we're on the same Pinterest board as everyone else."
| “ | I think in the beginning, I was just trying to be solid and be what a pop artist already was: what I’d seen on TV and what I thought was the right thing to do. But as I move on into this Planet Her era, I want to introduce things to people as opposed to just re-create and rehash. It’s just more inspiring to start from a more innovative spot. | ” |
– Doja Cat in an interview, Billboard | ||
Doja Cat said that Planet Her is the first record that "feels fully her own" and that "instead of striving to be a certain kind of pop star, she's simply embodying one." She said that like her previous record Hot Pink (2019), each song would be distinctly different from one another, yet there would be more consistency on Planet Her as opposed to Hot Pink. Before its release, Doja Cat expressed her excitement about releasing R&B music and "exploring different lanes," ultimately describing the album as “unbelievable.”
Album Art[]
The album cover was shot by American commercial photographer David LaChapelle and was revealed alongside the album's official announcement and tracklist.
Release and promotion[]
The album was made available to pre-order on the same day promotional song "Need to Know" was released on June 11, 2021.
"Kiss Me More," the lead single off the album was released on April 9, 2021. It topped the charts in New Zealand, Malaysia and Singapore, reached the top 5 in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and seven other countries, and reached No.2 in Ireland. In the same month, Doja Cat revealed that the song "You Right" with The Weeknd would serve as the second single from Planet Her. The track "Need To Know" was also revealed at the same time. On June 8, 2021, Doja Cat announced that "Need to Know" would serve as the first promotional single from the record, announcing the release date as June 11. The day after, June 9, she announced the album's release date as June 25, the artwork and the track listing via Instagram. A deluxe edition of the album with no prior announcement from Doja Cat was also released two days after the album release.
Critical reception[]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 6.7/10[15] |
| Metacritic | 76/100[16] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [17] |
| The A.V. Club | C+[18] |
| Clash | 7/10[19] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B+[20] |
| Evening Standard | [21] |
| Exclaim! | 9/10[22] |
| The Guardian | [23] |
| NME | [24] |
| Pitchfork | 7.8/10[25] |
| Rolling Stone | [26] |
Planet Her received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized score out of 100 to ratings from publications, the album received an average score of 76 based on 14 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[27] Rolling Stone wrote that despite it being her third record, Planet Her "feels like a debut".[28] Exclaim! wrote that it has "no skips" and that it "showcases many sides to Doja but remains cohesive".[29] The New Yorker expressed that it brings her "genre fluidity into perfect synthesis, building upon the pop-rap legacy established by her predecessor Nicki Minaj". noting that "Doja relishes stimulation, from paydays to addictive intimacy".[30] The New York Times described the record as "outlandish, eccentric, lustrous, mercenarily maximalist pop".[31]
Brandon Yu of Mic wrote that Planet Her "crystallizes her effortless, playful energy into a delightfully shape-shifting work. [...] she manages to execute a varied set of identity-swapping performances in a way that feels like a natural mark of her studied, eclectic talents rather than an exercise in chasing trends".[32] Safy-Hallan Farah of Pitchfork described Planet Her as "a kaleidoscope of pop versatility that benefits greatly from a market that currently values eclecticism. It feels both premeditated and casual, well-crafted yet trenchantly frivolous." Farah wrote that Doja Cat "entertains and enthralls with minimal effort, especially in her delivery" as she "skates" on the record's "impeccable" production. She noted that above all else, Doja Cat's "candy-sweet melodies are the star" of the record.[33] Using "Ain't Shit" as an example, Nick Levine of NME wrote that Doja Cat's lyrics "possess a plain-speaking power," while stressing that "it's not so much what she says, but the way that she says it".[34] Beats Per Minute described Planet Her as "the type of pop album there should be more of: both playful and psychedelic, rich in intelligent production, and filled with charismatic and chameleonic performances," noting that Doja Cat "understands the appeal of both the pop-star spectre and syrupy production; everything on Planet Her is contained and refined, but never polished to a fault. She inhabits different characters and moods, her voice never wavering or coming across as too thin for what she attempts".[35]
Alexis Petridis of The Guardian described Planet Her as a "light, summery, really well-produced and impressively concise record" with "music that plays to Doja Cat's strengths. She can genuinely sing as well as rap – she doesn't sound out of her depth duetting with Grande," noting that she's a skilled lyricist on "flippant and funny" topics rather than essaying weighty topics. He wrote that the album has "music with enough room for a degree of experimentation" but, however, was perplexed by how "an artist so evidently concerned with not taxing her listeners' attention spans" could get away with the "tedi[ous]" string of "insubstantial ballads".[36] Craig Jenkins of Vulture described Planet Her as Doja Cat's best album to date and described her as "our new ice-cool pop-queen supreme".[37] Gabrielle Sanchez of The A.V. Club wrote that the record "lacks the originality Doja made her name on" as she "loses herself in the pop space" with "predictable, uninspired sounds".[38] Cinquemani of Slant Magazine felt that, other than "Kiss Me More", the rest of the album "leans heavily" on contemporary sounds, making it "hard to differentiate it from any number of other recent R&B efforts".[39]
Track listing[]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Woman" | Doja Cat, Aynzli Jones, Jidenna, Lydia Asrat, Linden Jay, Aaron Horn, Yeti Beats, Dr. Luke | Aynzli Jones, Crate Classics, Linden Jay, Yeti Beats | 2:52 |
| 2. | "Naked" | Doja Cat, Al Shux, Daniel Gustavsson, Marcus Joons, Kurtis McKenzie | Kurtis McKenzie, Al Shux | 3:43 |
| 3. | "Payday" (featuring Young Thug) | Doja Cat, Young Thug, Y2K | Y2K | 3:33 |
| 4. | "Get Into It (Yuh)" | Doja Cat, Sully, Y2K | Y2K, Sully | 2:18 |
| 5. | "Need to Know" | Doja Cat, Dr. Luke | Dr. Luke | 3:30 |
| 6. | "I Don't Do Drugs" (featuring Ariana Grande) | Doja Cat, Sully, Ariana Grande, Y2K | Sully, Y2K | 3:09 |
| 7. | "Love To Dream" | Doja Cat, Sid Mallick, ProdByMG, Digi, Khaled Rohaim, Kurtis McKenzie | ProdByMG, Sid Mallick, Digi, Kurtis McKenzie, Khaled Rohaim | 3:36 |
| 8. | "You Right" (featuring The Weeknd) | Doja Cat, Dr. Luke, The Weeknd | Dr. Luke | 3:06 |
| 9. | "Been Like This" | Doja Cat, Yuli, tizhimself, Yeti Beats, Aaron Bow | Yeti Beats, Aaron Bow, tizhimself | 2:57 |
| 10. | "Options" (featuring JID) | Doja Cat, Mayer Hawthorne, Y2K, JID | Mayer Hawthorne, Y2K | 2:39 |
| 11. | "Ain't Shit" | Doja Cat, Kurtis McKenzie, Yeti Beats, tizhimself, Rogét Chahayed | Kurtis McKenzie, Yeti Beats, Rogét Chahayed, tizhimself | 2:54 |
| 12. | "Imagine" | Doja Cat, tizhimself, Mike Hector | Mike Hector, tizhimself | 2:28 |
| 13. | "Alone" | Doja Cat, Laura Roy, Geordan Reid Campbell, TROY NōKA, Linden Jay, Yeti Beats | Linden Jay, Yeti Beats | 3:48 |
| 14. | "Kiss Me More" (featuring SZA) | Doja Cat, Carter Lang, Dr. Luke, Rogét Chahayed, SZA, tizhimself & Yeti Beats | Carter Lang, Rogét Chahayed, tizhimself, Yeti Beats, Dr. Luke | 3:28 |
| Total length: | 44:06 | |||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15. | "You Right (Extended)" (featuring The Weeknd) | Doja Cat, The Weeknd, Dr. Luke | Dr. Luke | 4:08 |
| 16. | "Up And Down" | Doja Cat, ProdByMG, Lee Stashenko, Kurtis McKenzie | Lee Stashenko, Kurtis McKenzie | 2:31 |
| 17. | "Tonight" (featuring Eve) | Doja Cat, Eve, Dr. Luke, Rob “Reef” Tewlow, Taneisha Jackson | Rob “Reef” Tewlow, Dr. Luke | 2:48 |
| 18. | "Ride" | Doja Cat, ILana Armida, Yeti Beats | Doja Cat, Yeti Beats | 2:56 |
| 19. | "Why Why" (featuring Gunna) | Doja Cat, Y2K, Gunna | Sully, Y2K | 2:58 |
| Total length: | 59:28 | |||
Scrapped Tracks[]
- "Boom Boom"
- "Hot and Crazy"
- "Hustle"
- "Like A Dog"
- "Peanut Butter Jam"
- "Prom"
- "Thirsty"
- "Vacation"
- "Whiskey"
Gallery[]
Main Article: Planet HER/Gallery
Videos[]
References[]
- ↑ https://twitter.com/DojaCat/status/1343152680219205633
- ↑ https://twitter.com/DojaCat/status/1346339120000294912
- ↑ https://twitter.com/DojaCat/status/1354154571220754432
- ↑ Doja Cat Confirms The Weeknd Collab As Next Single From 'Planet Her' iHeartRadio.
- ↑ "Doja Cat Performed an Otherworldly Medley of Hits for the VMAs" Harper's Bazaar.
- ↑ "Watch Doja Cat Perform ‘Say So’ and ‘Like That’ at the MTV VMAs 2020" Our Culture Mag.
- ↑ "Doja Cat Says Her New Album Integrates Dancehall, Afrobeat, Funk, House, And More" MTV News.
- ↑ "Doja Cat says her new album includes dancehall, afrobeat, funk and house tracks" The Line of Best Fit.
- ↑ "Doja Cat’s Third Album Is Complete — But There’s A Catch"Uproxx.
- ↑ "Doja Cat has finished her new album: “It’s all ready” "NME.
- ↑ "Doja Cat Talks New Music, Reveals Details About Forthcoming Album"102.7 KIIS FM's Jingle Ball. iHeartRadio.
- ↑ "#PLANETHER2021" Twitter.
- ↑ "planet her 2021 ⌛" Twitter.
- ↑ "Can't Stop the Feline: How Doja Cat Took Pop to a New Dimension" Billboard.
- ↑ AnyDecentMusic? - "Planet Her by Doja Cat reviews"
- ↑ Metacritic - "Planet Her by Doja Cat"
- ↑ AllMusic - "Planet Her: Doja Cat"
- ↑ The A.V. Club - "Doja Cat threatens to lose herself in the pop space of Planet Her"
- ↑ Clash - "Doja Cat: Planet Her"
- ↑ Entertainment Weekly - "'Planet Her' review: It's a hot Cat summer on Doja Cat's sunny, swaggering new album"
- ↑ Evening Standard - "Doja Cat - Planet Her review: Yes! We expect this to fly on TikTok"
- ↑ Exclaim! - "Doja Cat Shows Off a World of Range on 'Planet Her'"
- ↑ The Guardian - "Doja Cat: Planet Her review, pop-rap queen is in a world of her own"
- ↑ NME - "Doja Cat – 'Planet Her' review: controversial pop-rapper enters her imperial phase"
- ↑ Pitchfork - "Doja Cat: Planet Her Album Review"
- ↑ Rolling Stone - "Doja Cat Makes Pop Weird Again With 'Planet Her'"
- ↑ "Planet Her by Doja Cat"
- ↑ "Doja Cat Makes Pop Weird Again With 'Planet Her'"
- ↑ "Doja Cat Shows Off a World of Range on 'Planet Her'"
- ↑ "Night Life: Doja Cat - Planet Her"
- ↑ "Best Albums of 2021"
- ↑ "On 'Planet Her,' Doja Cat is fully realized as the future of pop"
- ↑ "Doja Cat: Planet Her Album Review"
- ↑ "Doja Cat – 'Planet Her' review: controversial pop-rapper enters her imperial phase"
- ↑ "Album Review: Doja Cat – Planet Her"
- ↑ "Doja Cat: Planet Her review – pop-rap queen is in a world of her own"
- ↑ "Doja Cat Refuses to Be Dragged Down to Earth"
- ↑ "Doja Cat threatens to lose herself in the pop space of Planet Her"
- ↑ "Review: Doja Cat's Planet Her Gets Lost in a Celestial Soup of R&B and Trap Trends"
[]
v • e  | |
|---|---|
| Tracks | Woman • Naked • Payday • Get Into It (Yuh) • Need To Know • I Don't Do Drugs • Love To Dream • You Right • Been Like This • Options • Ain't Shit • Imagine • Alone • Kiss Me More |
| Deluxe tracks |
You Right (Extended) • Up And Down • Tonight • Ride • Why Why |
| Scrapped tracks | Boom Boom • Hot and Crazy • Hustle • Like A Dog • Peanut Butter Jam • Prom • Thirsty • Vacation • Wake Up |
| Related tracks |
Whiskey |
| Artists | Doja Cat • Young Thug • Ariana Grande • The Weeknd • JID • SZA • Eve • Gunna |