Doja Cat is about to take us on a time-traveling sonic trip with her upcoming fifth studio album, Vie.
The rapper-singer is channeling the energy of the ‘70s and ‘80s for this new era, but in true Doja fashion, she’s adding her own futuristic spin to it. While talking to Los Angeles’ 102.7 KIIS FM, she said she’s diving headfirst into the vibe: “I’m really punching my foot through the wall into that situation. I want to really fully encapsulate that time and still give it some modern twists here and there.”
Fans have been itching for details on the Scarlet follow-up, and she’s finally opening up about the vision. The 29-year-old star has always played with genre, but this time she’s fully embracing her eclectic music taste, think jazz, neo soul, indie, and even rock. It’s a departure from the polished pop that launched her and more of an intentional blend of the sounds she’s always loved but didn’t feel brave enough to lead with.
Back in November, she gave us a major teaser by dropping the names of 13 tracks from Vie on X (formerly Twitter). She marked five of them, ‘Cards,’ ‘Acts of Service,’ ‘Make It Up,’ ‘Did I Lie,’ and ‘Crack’, as her personal favorites before quietly deleting the post. And even though she didn’t say why, fans already began obsessing over the list, trying to piece together the sonic puzzle she’s building.
In a previous interview with Jack Harlow for Present Space, Doja got real about her creative evolution. She confessed that in the past, she leaned into trends and crowd-pleasing sounds just to stay hot. “I did the thing that I knew would stick,” she admitted. But now she’s shifting gears. “I want to start going in a different direction sonically… not just to protect my pockets or woo younger fans.”
With Scarlet, she already dipped her toes into hip-hop and R&B, stepping away from her usual chart-toppers. Now with Vie, it sounds like she’s going even deeper, mixing nostalgia with experimentation and ditching any formulaic pressure to write viral hits. She’s done playing safe, and if anything, this album might be her boldest move yet.
Doja’s always thrived when she’s unpredictable, and this new record is shaping up to be exactly that. Whether she’s reviving disco funk or layering synth-pop with gritty rap bars, one thing’s for sure, Vie isn’t going to sound like anything else out right now. And that’s exactly what makes it exciting.
