Amala Ratna Zandile Dlamini, known professionally as Doja Cat, was born on October 21, 1995, in Los Angeles' Tarzana neighborhood. Raised primarily by her Jewish-American mother, a painter, in California and briefly in New York, she spent part of her childhood in a Hindu ashram where she studied Bharatanatyam dance. She dropped out of high school at 16 and began uploading music to SoundCloud in 2012, with 'So High' attracting producer Dr. Luke, leading to a signing with Kemosabe and RCA Records at age 17. Her debut EP Purrr! followed in 2014. Doja Cat's style blends hip-hop, rap, R&B, and pop. Her debut album Amala (2018) gained viral traction from the novelty track 'Mooo!'. Breakthrough success came with Hot Pink (2019), featuring 'Say So' and 'Kiss Me More' with SZA, and subsequent albums Planet Her (2021) and Scarlet (2023), including 'Paint the Town Red'. She has won multiple Grammy Awards. She is recognized for energetic live performances incorporating dance elements from her background, often highlighted in tours supporting her albums.