Planet Her is the third studio album by American rapperDoja Cat. It was released on June 25, 2021, byKemosabe Records andRCA Records. The album, titled after afictional planet created by Doja Cat, is an amalgamation ofpop,hip hop, andR&B styles. Lyrically, the album touches onfemininity, solitude, romance, and sexuality, among other topics.
Five singles were released in support ofPlanet Her: "Kiss Me More", "You Right", "Need to Know", "Woman", and "Get Into It (Yuh)", all of which charted within the top 20 of the USBillboard Hot 100. It reached number one in New Zealand and spent four non-consecutive weeks at its peak of number two on the USBillboard 200 chart. Landing inside the top ten of thirteen countries, it finished 2021 as the world's tenth best-selling album that year.Planet Her was positively received by most music critics, who praised the sonic versatility and vocal deliveries. The album was nominated forAlbum of the Year andBest Pop Vocal Album at the64th Annual Grammy Awards.
Doja Cat released her second studio albumHot Pink in November 2019, and spent most of 2020 promoting its singles.[2] In August 2020, she toldMTV that her then-untitled third studio album would incorporate multiplemusic genres and that each song had its own "personality".[3][4] Later in September 2020, Doja Cat revealed that her third studio album was complete and "all ready" for release.[5][6] She also toldiHeartRadio in December that it has a number of features and collaborations, and that each song has a "different kind of vibe" to one another.[7]
I think in the beginning, I was just trying to be solid and be what apop 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 thisPlanet 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.
Half of the album was written inHawaii in February 2019, where Doja Cat was on vacation with her manager and co-writer Lydia Asrat, recovering from a recent breakup.[9] Recording for the album mostly took place under thelockdown constraints of theCOVID-19 pandemic,[9] largely between Doja Cat and American record producerY2K's home studio,[10][11][12] andThe Sound Factory andWestlake Recording Studios inLos Angeles,California with American recording engineer Rian Lewis.[11] Lewis claims that Doja Cat produced all her own vocals from inside thebooth "with impeccable precision and intention," and that "every harmony, every massive stack, every backing vocal in a character voice... those are all her ideas, 100%."[13] Doja Cat previewed the album tracks "Payday", "Ain't Shit" and "Love to Dream" while onInstagram livestreams in April 2020, May 2020 and May 2021 respectively.[14]: 10:26 [15][16] She recorded the final vocals for the opening track, "Woman", a month before the album was released.[17]: 52:00
In April 2021, shortly after confirming its title, Doja Cat said thatPlanet Her is her first album that "feels fully her own" and that as opposed to trying "tobe a certain kind of pop star, she's simply embodying one".[8] She said that like her previous recordHot Pink (2019), each song would be distinctly different from one another, yet there would be more cohesion onPlanet Her as opposed toHot Pink.[18] Before its release, Doja Cat expressed her excitement about releasingR&B music and "exploring different lanes", ultimately describing the album as "unbelievable".[18]
However, in 2023 Doja Cat ended up describing the album, along with the previous outingHot Pink, as "mediocre pop" and "a cash grab".[19][20]
Doja Cat was inspired by the "lush looks" ofTOI 1338b while envisioning the visualPlanet Her concept.[21]
Doja Cat has explained thatPlanet Her is "the center of the universe" where "all races of space exist and its where all species can kind of be in harmony there".[22] She noted that by naming the albumPlanet Her, she was "just trying to be cute" and clarified that it is not a planet for women nor a "feminist thing".[22] The music videos for the singles from the album all occur on different locations on the planet,[22][23] and aim to explore the respective aspects of these locations and what they mean.[24] In an interview withiHeartRadio, 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 justPlanet Her, for girls".[25]
I wanted to kind of go outside of what I understood [or] what I knew as pop aesthetic or rap aesthetic [et cetera]. I wanted to quite literally travel outside of the planet. When it comes to the videos and choice of words and melodies and combinations musically, I wanted it to feel different. I wanted it to feel otherworldly. So, I just named itPlanet Her.
— Doja Cat on the inspiration behind the album title in an interview withMTV News.[24]
Creative director Brett Alan Nelson revealed that he initially felt worried when Doja Cat told him that she wanted the record to "feelspace age", however he explained further: "We're doing a style offuturism that feels fresh. We don't know what our actual future holds, so we are making what Doja Cat's future is."[8]
The album cover was shot by American commercial photographerDavid LaChapelle.[26] It finds Doja Cat "floating in a sea of outer space". Her body is covered with sparkles.[27] There were a number of different photographs taken amongst different sets, yet Doja Cat chose the final shot as it was her initial idea and felt set on it from the start.[28]: 00:23 Although it appears as if she is flying in the image, Doja Cat claims that she is submerged in rock after having fell from space, but said that it is "left for your interpretation".[28]: 00:48
Insider interpreted through the album's music and lyrics that "Planet Her" is a place where "midday skies are streaked with pink and orange" and where "following your sexual urges is uncomplicated and morally good, where the feminine is divine and it's summer year-round."[29]Rolling Stone described the planet as an "exquisitely strange and spectacularly camp world" and noted that "there's a bit of cheeky, sci-fi B movie references in the presentation but the content [of the album] itself is pristine pop fun."[30]
By reflecting the everyday into science fiction contexts that incorporate video game, comic book andcyberpunk imagery, Doja manages to conquer these landscapes, herpsychedelic qualities on full display. This manages to solve the divide betweenAfro-futurism's darker side and suburban leisure's levity: Doja Cat sees the future as the possibility for utopia and connects it to its roots in current iconography.
One of the primary topics explored inPlanet Her is that of lust. In the second track "Naked", Doja Cat invites her partner to remove both of their clothes. Delivered in a "frisky" and "high-energy" tone, her singing is accompanied by areggaeton beat and driven by pulsing bass.
Planet Her is primarily apop,[31]hip hop, andR&B record.[32][33] It incorporates musical elements from a wide range of genres, such asafrobeat,[34]reggaeton,[35]hyperpop,[36] andpop-rap.[37] The album opens with a string of "funky," "fun" and "upbeat" tracks and towards the second half, the tempo mostly slows down for the more "introspective" tracks and Doja Cat "drifts from her usual raunchy lyricism to try out lovesick lullabies and heartbreak ballads, allowing the music to slow and a newfound vulnerability to emerge."[38][21][39]
The opening track, "Woman", is "an empowering, unabashed ode to womanhood and feminine diversity" which also explores the thoughts, emotions and woes of being a woman.[40][41] It's a bright, sexy and high-energy afrobeat song.[42][29][43][44] In the lyrics, Doja Cat also details howpatriarchy often tries to create competition by putting women against each other.[43][29] The next track "Naked" features a reggaeton rhythm and is led by a "sultry" and "high-energy" vocal performance.[45][37][29] Both "Woman" and "Naked" are driven bysteel drums and pulsing bass.[38]
Set to pitched background vocals and atrap-style rhythm, "Been Like This" is a melancholicballad where Doja Cat introspects about an unhealthy relationship.Billboard described the song as havingrap andR&B elements, as well as the "slickest combination" of Doja Cat's various musical styles.[45]
The third track, "Payday", celebrates Doja Cat's wealth and fame in a high register,[43] as she sings "I just can't believe I got what I wanted all my life".[46] "Get Into It (Yuh)" is a tribute to rapperNicki Minaj, whom Doja Cat pays respect to by saying "Thank you Nicki, I love you!" towards the end of the song, and references her debut single "Massive Attack".[37][43][41][47] "Need to Know" is a "grinding sex jam" sung over an "icy" trap and R&B instrumental.[48][43][35] Throughout the song, Doja Cat's "dense triplet flow is layered over futuristic disco production. "I Don't Do Drugs" featuring American singerAriana Grande was described as a "masterclass in the airy R&B vibe" found in most of Grande's work.[35] Its "candy-coated" production is driven by "whimsicalxylophone" and "exploding bass".[38] "Love to Dream" is a wistfulspace-age pop and R&B ballad driven by a downcast, distorted guitar lead and Doja Cat's high "crystalline falsetto" vocals.[49][42][21][48][45][31]
"You Right", a duet with Canadian singerthe Weeknd is a slow, seductive song inspired by classic1990s R&B.[50][51][21] It's been described as a "sexy, atmospheric slow-burn"[29] driven by "slick and twinkling keyboards".[43] Over the gentle trap beat and through pitched down vocals of "Been Like This", Doja Cat processes her shifting feelings for a partner after noticing how they've changed and become more toxic, making it one of the most reflective on the album.[43][38][52] "Options" featuring American rapperJID is a "solid rap song" which features808s.[31] "Ain't Shit" was noted to feature Doja Cat's "rapped eye rolls", a "falsettorefrain", and a "fed up attitude of the opposite sex".[51][38] The sparkly, midtempo production on "Imagine" combines a trap bassline with traditional East Asian music.[45][53] The penultimate song, "Alone", recalls a 2000s blend of pop and R&B.[29] The final track on the standard edition, "Kiss Me More" featuring American singerSZA, is a disco-influenced ode to kissing.[45] It has been described as "breezy", "flirtatious" and "cheeky".[45][43]
Doja Cat first introduced the term "Planet Her" in August 2020 during the opening sequence of her performance at the2020 MTV Video Music Awards, where she impersonated a television commentator and stated "Performing live on Planet Her is Doja Cat. Enjoy!".[54][55] In late December 2020, she began subliminally teasing the album onTwitter by repeatedly tweeting the phrase "Planet Her 2021" over the course of a few weeks.[56][57] On January 5, 2021, Doja Cat followed eight musicians on the platform and subsequently tweeted "Following them for a reason. Guess why.", alluding to imminent collaborations with the followed artists.[58][59][60]
The title of the album,Planet Her, was confirmed in an interview with American magazineV in March 2021.[61][62] The existence of the track "Kiss Me More", featuringSZA, was confirmed in the same interview.[63] In the following month, Doja Cat revealed that the song "You Right" withthe Weeknd would serve as the second single fromPlanet Her in a cover story interview withBillboard.[64][65] The existence of the track "Need to Know" was also revealed at the same time.[8] After announcing the release of this song as a promotional single on June 9,[66] Doja Cat then used social media to announce the album's release date and reveal the artwork and track listing on June 10.[67][68] The album was made available for pre-order on June 11, the same day "Need to Know" was released.[69]
Planet Her was issued worldwide on June 25, 2021, at midnight[70]local time, byKemosabe andRCA Records, Doja Cat's third to be released under this contract. The standard edition has only yet been released on digital download and streaming formats, with a limited release of only a few thousand CDs on Doja Cat's online store.[71][72] A deluxe edition of the album was released two days later on June 27,[73][74] to digital download and streaming formats.[71] The deluxe edition was released on CD format internationally on December 10, 2021. An LP format of the deluxe edition was released on May 27, 2022.[75]
"You Right" with the Weeknd was released as the second official single in tandem withPlanet Her and its Quentin Deronzier-directed music video on June 25, 2021.[54] The song debuted at number 11 in the United States, Australia, and Ireland, and peaked within the top 10 in Canada (No. 10), New Zealand (No. 6), and the United Kingdom (No. 9).[87]
"Need to Know" was initially released as the firstpromotional single from the record on June 11, 2021,[88] after having been announced two days earlier.[66][89] After gaining traction on TikTok,[90] it impactedrhythmic contemporary radio as the album's third single on August 31, 2021.[91] Its corresponding music video was directed by duo Miles & AJ and featurescameo appearances from Canadian musicianGrimes and American actressRyan Destiny.[92] With little to no airplay, the song debuted at number 29 on theBillboard Global 200 as well as within thetop 40 of countries such as Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the United States.[93] It eventually peaked at number eight in the United States, becoming Doja Cat's fourth top ten hit (second from the album), outperforming "You Right", which was intended to be the "more important single".
The track "Woman" had started gaining popularity on TikTok in August 2021 after a dance challenge was created by Tracy Joseph.[90] This brought the track to re-enter at the USBillboard Hot 100 at 84, peaking at #7 in May 2022, the third top 10 from the album; a sleeper hit.[94] and debut on theUK Singles Chart at 26.[95] It earned even higher chart placements across Europe. It was eventually released as the fourth single, impacting Italian contemporary radio on October 1, 2021,[96] and US rhythmic contemporary radio on January 11, 2022.[97]
The song "Get Into It (Yuh)" followed a similar resurgence with choreography from TikTok user David Vu,[90] which helped it re-enter the Hot 100 at number 75.[98]It was sent to Italian radio stations as the fifth single from the album on March 11, 2022,[99] as well as US rhythmic contemporary radio on March 29, 2022,[100] and US contemporary hit radio on April 5, 2022.[101]
While on Instagram livestream in August 2020, Doja Cat hinted at her plans of releasing the song "Ain't Shit" as a single under the title "N.A.S", but this release failed to materialize.[102][103] She had previewed the song on another Instagram livestream in early April 2020, and it soon gained traction on the video-sharing platformTikTok.[15][104] With its continued success on the platform following the album's release, it became the highest-charting non-single, debuting at 24 on the USBillboard Hot 100.[105] As of August 19, 2021, the album tracks "Ain't Shit" and "Get Into It (Yuh)" had amassed 655.7 thousand and 176.4 thousand user-created videos on TikTok.[106]
Doja Cat performed five songs fromPlanet Her for the first time in the picturedConey Island concert on July 4, 2021.
Doja Cat performed a solo version of "Kiss Me More" for the first time atTriller'sinaugural Fight Club event in April 2021.[107] At the2021Billboard Music Awards in May 2021, Doja Cat and SZA performed the song together.[108] Doja Cat again performed a solo version of the song within amedley at the2021 iHeartRadio Music Awards later that month.[109] During a solo virtual concert as part ofAmerican Express's "Unstaged" campaign in June 2021, SZA performed her verse from the song as well as the introduction and chorus usually sung by Doja Cat.[110] She performed it in the same manner during a solo virtual concert as part ofGrey Goose's "In Dream" campaign on July 2, 2021.[111]
To celebrate both the release ofPlanet Her andIndependence Day, American live music company The Day Party hosted a Doja Cat concert atConey Art Walls in New York City on July 4, 2021.[112][113] It was here where she performed five songs from the record, notably debuting "Get Into It (Yuh)", "Ain't Shit", "Need to Know" and "Woman".[114] On July 10, she continued to celebrate the album release at a private nightclub inMiami, where she notably slipped and fell while on stage and earned praise for playing it off and carrying on with the performance.[115][116][117] Throughout July and August 2021, music video network companyVevo conducted a series of Doja Cat performances of songs fromPlanet Her, all filmed on a set with gold structures amongst aCalifornian desert;[118][119] her performance of album track "Ain't Shit" was published on July 3,[120] followed by a performance of "Love to Dream" on July 6,[121] and then "Need to Know" on August 6.[122] Doja Cat performed sixPlanet Her tracks during a set at theMade in America Festival inPhiladelphia.[123] While suspended in the air at the2021 MTV Video Music Awards ceremony later that month, she performed "Been Like This" for the first time, followed by a solo version of "You Right" featuring her additional verse from the extended mix.[124]
Planet Her received generally positive reviews from music critics. AtMetacritic, which assigns anormalized score out of 100 to ratings from publications, the album received anaverage score of 76 based on 14 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[126]Rolling Stone wrote that despite it being her third record,Planet Her "feels like a debut".[30]Exclaim! wrote that it has "no skips" and that it "showcases many sides to Doja but remains cohesive".[130]The New Yorker expressed that it brings her "genre fluidity into perfect synthesis, building upon the pop-rap legacy established by her predecessorNicki Minaj," noting that "Doja relishes stimulation, from paydays to addictive intimacy."[132]The New York Times described the record as "outlandish, eccentric, lustrous, mercenarily maximalist pop".[133]
Brandon Yu ofMic wrote thatPlanet 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."[134] Safy-Hallan Farah ofPitchfork describedPlanet Her as "a kaleidoscope of pop versatility that benefits greatly from a market that currently valueseclecticism. 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.[31] Using "Ain't Shit" as an example, Nick Levine ofNME 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."[48]Beats Per Minute describedPlanet 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 onPlanet 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."[21]
Alexis Petridis ofThe Guardian describedPlanet 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".[131] Craig Jenkins ofVulture describedPlanet Her as Doja Cat's best album to date and described her as "our new ice-cool pop-queen supreme".[37] Gabrielle Sanchez ofThe 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".[128] Cinquemani ofSlant 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".[46]
In the United States,Planet Her became Doja Cat's highest-charting album as it debuted at number two on theBillboard 200 after moving 109,000album-equivalent units. It additionally topped theBillboardTop R&B Albums chart,[135] and in the following week, propelled up to number one on the USTop R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and remained at number two on theBillboard 200 after moving 68,000 units.[136][137] When the album spent a third consecutive week at number two, it became the first album to spend its first three weeks at number two on the chart sinceThe Pinkprint (2014) byNicki Minaj in 2015.[138]Planet Her spent another five weeks within the top 5 of theBillboard 200 with over 55,000 units earned each week;[106] it re-peaked at number two in its eight-week on chart, moving 1,000 units less thanBillie Eilish'sHappier Than Ever (2021).[139] On March 21, 2022,Planet Her became the first album by a female rapper in history to spend 33 weeks inBillboard 200’s Top 10.[140][141]
Commenting on the album's stable run on theBillboard 200,Billboard writer Kyle Denis said "Planet Her and its singles have unequivocally solidified Doja Cat as one of the defining pop stars of [Generation Z] era", bolstered by theTikTok appeal of her music, her "A-list" collaborations, "exciting" television performances, and social media presence.[106]
In Australia,Planet Her opened at number 3 where it remained at for another two weeks,[142] while dethroningCall Me if You Get Lost on its second week on the Top 40 Hip-Hop/R&B Albums chart, where it stayed at number one for yet another week.[143] It spent eight consecutive weeks in the top 3 of theNew Zealand Albums Chart,[144] reaching number one its eighth week charting. In the United Kingdom,Planet Her debuted at number three on theUK Albums Chart where it remained for another week before dropping to number five in its third week.[145] It was certified Silver by theBritish Phonographic Industry (BPI) in early September 2021, denoting 60,000 sales in the country.[146] On theIrish Albums Chart it debuted at number four and remained in this position for another two weeks,[147][148][149] before peaking at number 3 in its fourth week.[150]
With over 1,510,000album-equivalent units sold in the US in 2021,MRC Data rankedPlanet Her the biggest R&B album of the year and sixth best-selling album overall.[151] According to theInternational Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), it was the tenth best-selling album of the year on all platforms worldwide in 2021, despite having a limited physical release.[152]
^abA., Aron (May 18, 2020)."Doja Cat's Unreleased Song Is Making Big Waves On TikTok".HotNewHipHop.Archived from the original on June 29, 2021. RetrievedJune 29, 2021.Doja Cat hit her Instagram Live in early April when she previewed some new music. The song, titled, "N****as Ain't Shit" has made waves on TikTok [...]
^ab"Planet Her CD (Webstore Exclusive)".Doja Cat Store (US). Archived fromthe original on July 16, 2021. RetrievedJuly 16, 2021.This CD pressing ofPlanet Her is limited to 5000 pieces and will only be available at shop.dojacat.com
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