The perfect pop album to cure your winter blues
By Michele Provenzano, Staff Writer
5/5
On her second full-length album, Hot Pink, singer and rapper Doja Cat showcases her dynamic vocals and creative song writing capabilities. Hot Pink is an eclectic and empowering R&B slash hip-hop record.
Released earlier this month, the album is her first since going viral in late 2018 with “Mooo!”—a goofy hit for which she released a webcam-quality video of her drinking a milkshake, eating fries, and twerking in front of a green screen. The twenty-four-year-old maintains a playfulness in her music a year later. That said, Hot Pink is professional and cohesive. It’s clear that Doja takes her craft seriously.
A standout feature of the album is Doja’s vocal versatility. She constantly switches up her delivery on this album, even within the same song. On the groovy dance track “Say So,” she goes from a soft, dreamy singing voice, to a punchy rap verse.
The synth-y opener (and my personal favourite track) “Cyber Sex” similarly displays her versatility when the smooth, whisper-like chorus meets her powerful flow. An ode to sexuality in the twenty-first century, the song sets the tone of sex-positivity that permeates Hot Pink. “We freak on the cam/Love at first sight, just a link to the ‘gram,” she raps.
Doja’s lyrics are blunt and full of personality. She drips with confidence as she unashamedly sings of love and sex. Her wit comes through in many instances, leading to some entertaining lines such as, “You a creep, I saw you on Dateline/You ain’t gettin’ pussy, you fuckin’ a A.I.”
A wide range of musical influences find their way onto Hot Pink. “Streets,” a track slightly darker than the otherwise bright album, samples early-2000s boy band B2K. “Bottom Bitch” samples Blink-182, slowing the guitar riff from “What’s My Age Again?” A handful of songs feel reminiscent of ‘90s R&B. Doja celebrates her South African heritage on “Won’t Bite.” It’s an upbeat track punctuated by ululating: a vocal technique common in Southern African songs. 1970s disco infiltrates “Say So” and the swanky “Addiction,” making them some of the most danceable tracks.
The album begins to mellow out towards the end—that is, until the final track strikes: the popular hit “Juicy” featuring Tyga. Do yourself a favour and listen to the original version without the Tyga verse. Other featured rappers include Gucci Mane and Smino.
Hot Pink embodies a summer feeling. The carefree attitude of this album is the perfect antidote to the winter blues. Most of the songs on this record are upbeat and pure fun. Diverse in influence yet consistent, Hot Pink combines lush production and pure vocal talent to create an album that should send Doja Cat to the top of the pop charts.
