{"id":2050955,"date":"2025-09-26T05:17:52","date_gmt":"2025-09-26T05:17:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2050955"},"modified":"2025-09-26T05:17:52","modified_gmt":"2025-09-26T05:17:52","slug":"doja-cat-vie-album-review-and-breakdown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/doja-cat-vie-album-review-and-breakdown\/","title":{"rendered":"Doja Cat \u2018Vie\u2019 Album Review and Breakdown"},"content":{"rendered":"

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When Doja Cat drops an album, the world seems to get a little more fun. As soon as she spits a hard rap and sings a sweet melody, it\u2019s like she\u2019s clocking in as the manager of a pop music hit factory. So today, as the factory lights come back on with the release of her much-anticipated fifth studio album, Vie<\/em>, <\/em>ELLE\u2019s two music mavens were ready to dive right into her latest creation.<\/p>\n

While promoting the record on social media, Doja Cat described<\/a> Vie <\/em>as an album about love. That feels natural for her\u2014as she noted in her June\/July 2022 ELLE cover story<\/a>, it\u2019s important to have conviction in your work. \u201cIf you don\u2019t believe in what you\u2019re doing, people aren\u2019t stupid\u2014they\u2019re going to pick up on that real quick. You just have to believe in yourself,\u201d she said. \u201cIt really sounds like some shit out of The SpongeBob Movie<\/em>, but it\u2019s true.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cJealous Type,\u201d an \u201980s-inspired lead single produced with Y2K and Jack Antonoff, who also executive produced the album, gave us an early preview of Doja Cat\u2019s new sound. With all its retro-pop references, Vie<\/em> marks a noted departure from her last album, Scarlet<\/em>, which sat more firmly in the rap sphere. While it does, at times, get formulaic and predictable, Vie<\/em><\/em>\u2019s possible hits and cheeky lines make it absolutely worth a listen.<\/p>\n

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Here, two editors discuss their first impressions of the album. <\/p>\n

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Initial thoughts<\/h2>\n
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Samuel Maude, content strategy manager:<\/strong> This album feels like Doja Cat. It\u2019s very groovy, very vibe-y. The \u201980s inspiration really comes through. There are fun moments and funny lyrics, and I appreciate that. But sometimes, her songs get a little formulaic for me. It\u2019s like, Sing, then do a rap in the middle, and then sing.<\/em> That\u2019s consistent throughout the album. I did start to feel like I was in a little bit of a mush where all the songs felt the same about halfway through. If I wasn\u2019t paying close enough attention, I wondered if I was listening to the same song.<\/p>\n

Erica Gonzales, deputy editor, culture:<\/strong> I felt that way on the first listen, but I was a little distracted. I like the \u201980s stuff. I grew up listening to music like that with my parents. Initially, I wasn\u2019t surprised because a lot of the sounds felt very nostalgic, but not in a way that reinvented the genre that much. But when I listened to it again, I liked it a lot more. I think it will grow on you, because there were certain rhythms and production moments where I was like, Oh, that\u2019s cool. Why didn\u2019t that stick out to me yesterday?<\/em><\/p>\n

Embracing the 1980s<\/h2>\n

EG: <\/strong>I think we\u2019re seeing a lot of \u201980s references right now. Chappell Roan always covers Heart on tour, and she loves Bonnie Raitt. Lady Gaga put some \u201980s in Mayhem<\/a> <\/em>earlier this year. I was curious to see what Doja\u2019s take would be. Hers seems very true to the era, but I feel like I was expecting it to be more boundary-pushing. I don\u2019t think the songs are bad; I was probably expecting a little bit more. But I can still see myself playing a lot of them. <\/p>\n

SM:<\/strong> The \u201980s influences actually reminded me of the Conan Gray album Found Heaven<\/em>, where you\u2019re leaning into it so hard that you lose a bit of your personal identity as an artist. You\u2019re more so replicating sounds than advancing them. <\/p>\n

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EG: <\/strong>She\u2019s referenced past decades before. Planet Her<\/em> seemed very disco-y or even a little \u201990s. But what I liked about her last album, Scarlet<\/em>, is it surprised me in so many ways. I love a weird sound. There\u2019s so much content out there that it\u2019s rare for something to really grab my attention and show some real originality. <\/p>\n

Collaborators<\/h2>\n

SM: <\/strong>I\u2019m really shocked she chose to work with Jack Antonoff on this record. He has made so many hit albums recently, but I feel like the general consensus has been that he creates albums that sound similar. Lorde was so smart to change it up for Virgin<\/a><\/em>. Maybe that\u2019s why Vie<\/em> didn\u2019t feel so forward-pushing to me.<\/p>\n

EG:<\/strong> I love that she and SZA teamed up again on \u201cTake Me Dancing,\u201d but unfortunately it doesn\u2019t go as hard as \u201cKiss Me More.\u201d Also, it would\u2019ve been cool to see her feature a prominent \u201980s artist, like Sheila E., since these songs are so Prince-coded, or Chaka Khan. Cardi B just had Janet Jackson on her album! She could\u2019ve been a great fit for one of Doja\u2019s tracks. <\/p>\n

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