Maps of Music

Planet Her (2021)

Where the lyrics of Planet Her take you, and where it was really made.

The title names a planet that Doja Cat invented, and she later called the naming 'just trying to be cute' and said it is not a planet for women.

Key places

Recording at Westlake Recording Studios (2021)

Recording site Westlake Recording Studios — The album was recorded in part at Westlake Recording Studios in Los Angeles, California, during the COVID-19 lockdown period. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recording at the Sound Factory (2021)

Recording site The Sound Factory — The album was recorded in part at the Sound Factory in Los Angeles, California, during the COVID-19 lockdown period. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Planet Her is the third studio album by American rapper and singer Doja Cat
• Released 25 June 2021 by Kemosabe Records and RCA Records
• Named after a fictional planet created by Doja Cat
• Stylistically influenced by pop, hip-hop, and R&B
• Lyrics touch on femininity, solitude, romance, and sexuality
• Guest appearances from Young Thug, Ariana Grande, The Weeknd, JID, and SZA
• Eve and Gunna featured on the deluxe edition
• Doja Cat served as executive producer alongside frequent collaborator Yeti Beats

Background

• Doja Cat released her second studio album Hot Pink in November 2019
• She spent most of 2020 promoting the singles from Hot Pink
• In August 2020 she told MTV the untitled third album would mix multiple genres
• Half of the album was written in Hawaii in February 2019
• She was there on vacation with her manager and co-writer Lydia Asrat, recovering from a recent breakup

Recording

• Recording mostly took place under the lockdown constraints of the COVID-19 pandemic
• Sessions were largely held at Y2K's home studio, the Sound Factory, and Westlake Recording Studios in Los Angeles
• American recording engineer Rian Lewis worked on the sessions

Cover

• The album cover was shot by American commercial photographer David LaChapelle
• It shows Doja Cat floating in a sea of outer space with her body covered in sparkles

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · es.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Early life

• Born Amala Ratna Zandile Dlamini on October 21, 1995, in Tarzana, Los Angeles, California.
• Her mother is an American graphic designer; her father is a South African performer of Zulu descent known for Sarafina!.
• Raised partly at the Sai Anantam Ashram in Agoura Hills, then in Oak Park, California.
• Dropped out of high school at 16 and began making music on her own, uploading to SoundCloud.

Career

• Signed to Kemosabe Records (RCA) at 17; debut EP Purrr! released in 2014.
• Debut album Amala (2018) was ignored by critics; the viral single "Mooo!" later brought her wider attention.
• Hot Pink (2019) broke through with "Say So", her first Billboard Hot 100 number one with Nicki Minaj.
• Planet Her (2021) produced several top-ten hits including "Kiss Me More" with SZA, which won a Grammy.
• Scarlet (2023) shifted toward hip-hop, led by the US number-one "Paint the Town Red".
• Vie (2025) marked a return to her pop roots.
• Named one of Time's 100 most influential people in 2023.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Rolling Stone: despite being her third record, Planet Her feels like a debut
• Exclaim!: no skips, shows many sides of Doja Cat yet stays cohesive
• The New Yorker: brings genre fluidity into perfect synthesis, building on the pop-rap legacy of Nicki Minaj
• The New York Times: described the record as outlandish, eccentric, lustrous, and mercenarily maximalist pop
• Pitchfork (Safy-Hallan Farah): a kaleidoscope of pop versatility
• Vulture (Craig Jenkins): Doja Cat's best album to date
• The Guardian (Alexis Petridis): light, summery, really well-produced, and impressively concise
• Mic (Brandon Yu): crystallizes her effortless, playful energy into a shape-shifting work

Reappraisal

• In 2023 Doja Cat described the album, along with Hot Pink, as mediocre pop and a cash grab
• The A.V. Club (Gabrielle Sanchez): said the record lacks the originality Doja made her name on

Records

• Metacritic: generally favorable reviews, score 76 out of 100 from 14 critic scores
• US Billboard 200: debuted at number two with 109,000 album-equivalent units
• UK Albums Chart: debuted at number three
• Australia: opened at number three on the albums chart
• Ireland: debuted at number four
• UK: certified Silver by the BPI in early September 2021, denoting 60,000 sales
• US 2021: over 1,510,000 album-equivalent units, ranked the biggest R&B album of the year by MRC Data
• Worldwide 2021: tenth best-selling album of the year according to the IFPI
• 64th Annual Grammy Awards: nominated for Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · fr.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Doja Cat first used the term Planet Her at the opening of her 2020 MTV Video Music Awards performance, impersonating a television commentator
• The music videos for the singles were set in different locations on the planet, each meant to explore what that location means
• Creative director Brett Alan Nelson initially felt worried when she asked for a space-age feel, then explained the futurism approach he was taking
• She recorded the final vocals for the opening track Woman a month before the album came out
• Doja Cat said each song would sound distinctly different, yet the album would be more cohesive than Hot Pink

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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