What is Doja Cat's real name?

May 2024 · 3 minute read

DOJA Cat is known for her hit singles Kiss Me More, Say So, and Vegas.

The GRAMMY Award winner rose to prominence with the release of her albums Hot Pink and Planet Her.

What is Doja Cat's real name?

Born on October 21, 1995, Amala Ratna Zandile Dlamini is famously known as the rapper Doja Cat.

Amala Ratna translates to "pure gem" in Sanskrit and Zandile translates to "they have multiplied" in Zulu.

Therefore, Doja's real name is believed to be of Indian and South African origin.

Hailing from the Tarzana area of Los Angeles, most of the Kiss Me More rapper's early life was centered in California.

Read More on Doja Cat

On March 30, 2018, Doja released her first album Amala.

Often considered her breakthrough, Amala consisted of the singles Tia Tamera, Mooo!, and Juicy.

How did Doja get her stage name?

According to Doja Cat, her stage name originated from her love of cats and cannabis.

"I was heavily addicted to weed and weed culture, so when I began rapping I thought of the word ‘doja’ and how it sounds like a girl’s name," the hitmaker told Dazed.

Most read in Celebrity

She explained her artistic background: "My mom was a painter and loves to sing behind closed doors. My father is a South African actor who danced in Broadway musicals for Lion King. I took a little bit of everything from both of them.

"After moving from Oak Park around the age of 11 and a half, I started to take up break dancing. 

"I danced in a crew and competed around Los Angeles in organized underground cipher battles.

"In 11th grade, I dropped out and stopped dancing as much, and took up music to see if it would stick.

"Some friends in high school would tell me I should sing. I started teaching myself to sing in my room and would make songs on GarageBand with my desktop computer on the floor on a mattress."

Doja added: "If your intent is to be happy, comfortable, genuine, and true in craft, you’re destined to be noticed.

"People can smell when things aren’t genuine. If your only intent is to be seen, you’ll never be seen."

How did Doja respond to her Twitter fans?

As Doja went on to experience more success, she acquired a large fanbase who dubbed themselves "Kittenz" on social media.

However, she has expressed her dislike of her followers giving themselves the kittenz moniker.

Read More on The US Sun

"My fans don't get to name themselves s***," Doja said on Twitter.

"If you call yourself a 'kitten' or f**king 'kittenz' that means you need to get off your phone and get a job and help your parents with the house."

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTEZqqupl6YvK57xKernqqklravucSnq2hsaWyBc3yRaK6hmaRisbC2wGaamqyjYr%2BmrctmpZqllWQ%3D