Doja Cat is a 27-year-old Los Angeles rapper and songwriter who is being accused of worshiping the devil. Recent controversy over the artist has been circulating the internet after her new album, “Scarlet,” was released on Sept. 22. This album features chilling songs and music videos that include her turning into a devil, interacting with demonic figures and even going so far as to refer to herself as one. However, the songs “Attention” and “Paint the Town Red” took social media platforms such as TikTok by storm. There are thousands of posts under the song “Attention” on TikTok and almost two million posts under the song “Paint the Town Red.” Fans have created dances and transitions to these songs including hand gestures that mimic devil horns and a gesture including sticking your tongue out while rolling your eyes back.
The real controversy over Doja Cat’s alleged worshiping of the devil started after “Paint the Town Red” hit number one on the Spotify charts after only being released for a little over a month. This rapid success sparked the rumor that Doja Cat allegedly sold her soul to the devil for fame. Soul-selling is a popular accusation that usually circulates when artists gain intense fame or have extreme repeated success. However, Doja Cat isn’t just having success with her music, she is centering songs, events, music videos, and posts around the devil and demonic themes. Her recent Instagram posts have shown her dressed as a blue and black demon with red eyes to promote her new album.
Doja was also pictured at to the Schiaparelli fashion show in Paris, France wearing 30,000 red crystals. Her entire body was covered by these red glittering stones except for her eyes. Doja’s head was bald and her dress featured a long red cape design typically featured in stereotypical devil costumes. Red has become Doja’s staple look when it comes to events and special appearances. The fiery red color she is always pictured with only serves as a catalyst to the demonic accusations.
Doja is not only including demonic themes in her music and social media, but is physically imprinting them onto her body. On Feb. 5, she got her first tattoo, a fine-line devil holding a pitchfork. After her first tattoo she continued adding to her personal ink collection. Next came a spider, a cow-skull, a key, a poem, and a full human skeleton, yet her biggest and boldest tattoo had yet to come. Her newest tattoo of a bat skeleton which covers the entirety of her back was revealed on May 4. The skeletal bat head also features a sparkling halo that attaches to a line that travels up Doja’s neck to her head, creating a puppet-like effect. When fans elicited concern to the artist about her newfound devotion to satanic images and themes, she responded with “your fear is not my problem.”
This piece was originally published in Zephyrus’ print edition on October 12, 2023.
