Recently, Doja Cat has become a walking contradiction, displaying resentment towards her fans, yet continuing to release music for them. Her recent single, “Paint the Town Red” was released on August 4, 2023, only two months after her fan scandal, where she insinuated that her followers were not important to her. After debuting at No. 15, “Paint the Town Red” rose to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 song chart five weeks after its release. Hitting No. 1 on the Billboard is undeniably impressive, especially given the significant amount of time since the song’s release. Considering the abrupt surge in interest, there arises a question about whether it’s attributed to a positive reason.
Over the years, Doja has become more controversial. Instances include her allegedly participating in online chat rooms affiliated with white supremacist groups, dating an accused abuser and tweeting homophobic slurs. Most recently, Doja has been entangled in an online feud with some of her fans. On July 23, a heated conversation between Doja and her fans took place on Threads. One of the users wrote, “I wanna hear you say (I do love you guys) As usual you say to your fans.” Doja responded by saying, “I don’t though cuz I don’t even know y’all.” Another user snapped back saying, “And we don’t know you. But we have supported you through thick and thin. Mind you you’d be NOTHING without us.” This scandal caused a massive wake of anger in her fanbase, leading to her reportedly losing upwards of 500,000 Instagram followers. Given her strained relationship with fans, it’s intriguing that her song garnered so much attention.
“Maybe it was the controversy around her that made her song do so well,” said Summit sophomore Adeline Bennett.
People have a natural curiosity, which can cause a desire to be aware of the unfolding drama. This brings up a good point about how maybe any attention, even negative, could be beneficial to the artist.
