An Open Letter To Doja Cat.
Dear Doja,
I’ll start this by expressing what a fan I am. You have been unapologetically you- good and bad- and made the music you wanted to (or it seems). You maintain a sense of humor in your TikToks, Tweets, and lyrics. You expand through genres and work with the top artist in the game.
You were able to build a career from a joke song called Moo! which is impressive all on its own. You exude fun and joy when you perform- and that can’t be easy all of the time.
Your fashion sense is on point, and you’re gorgeous to boot. It’s not uncommon to see new talent, especially a female artist, have little personality; playing it safe and doing as they’re told, but you always seem to be doing and saying what you want when you want. In short- you are all personality.
Recently, you’ve seemed stressed. You’re planning your exit from music- which is hopefully not true- and it’s upsetting. You pushed out multiple albums in rapid succession, then started touring; you must be exhausted.
The fact that your managers and label felt you should keep going so hard and fast so soon is honestly depressing. You deserve a break between all of that and should be allowed to stop and breathe. Physically and mentally all of that at once, paired with a skyrocketing career and increasing public spotlight, is not good for anyone.
Obviously, you could have wanted to go, go, go. If you pushed to keep your momentum high, everyone around you’s job was to stop you. To keep you from overwhelming yourself. You’re so young and talented- we all forget to be human sometimes.
As for your ‘fans’ who demand perfection from you- they would do well to remember you’re human- and we all need a second. We all have bad days, we all have bad moods, we all have days when our best is just shit and we have to accept that in ourselves and each other.
You, Doja, are amazing. You are smart and funny and creative and truly unique in all that you do. To lose your voice in music and the social platform would be unfortunate. That said, if you need to leave, if quitting is your only way to peace and sanity- do what you need to do. You owe nothing to anyone but yourself.
Wishing you solace,
Rebecca Timberlake