If Doja Cat left her fans, affectionately called #Kittens, dazed and confused when trying to tease the sonic direction of her next album, they’ll only be more so thanks to her latest appearance in ‘DAZED’ magazine.

Acting as the cover girl to the publication’s Winter 2022 issue, the GRAMMY winner left few topics off the table – dishing on everything from her childhood experiences as a biracial person to defying the industry’s standard of beauty with her headline-grabbing shaved head and so much more.

Naturally, the subject of new music came up.

And while Cat is still enjoying the mega-success of her third studio effort, ‘Planet HER,’ the diva claims she’s already ready to explore new musical territory with its yet-titled follow-up.

Hop inside to see some standout quotes from her time with ‘DAZED.’

DOJA CAT ON GROWING UP BIRACIAL & BEING INFLUENCED BY BLACK CULTURE:

“I read something the other day where someone said I was never surrounded by Black people, and I have no Black influence in my life, which is so unbelievably crazy to me,” she says. “Growing up on the land, it was all Black energy. My family was Black. My mum was the only real white influence in my life. It’s easy to make assumptions about people you don’t know. I don’t think people are trying to destroy my light or make me unhappy; I think it’s just that they don’t know.”

DOJA CAT ON HER SHAVED HEAD:

“[At first, I thought I looked like a] wrinkly penis – I looked like I had an exposed brain,” she revealed before later stating, “I have never felt more beautiful in my entire life, which is very strange. I felt beautiful when I had long hair. I definitely felt like a hot girl then, but I always do. There’s something so exhilarating about change; (it) showed me a different side of myself. I feel so new, fresh and sexy. I also feel better without make-up: having this bare head and so little make-up is a fun experience. It’s new, and I love it.”

DOJA CAT ON THE INSPIRATIONS FOR HER NEW ALBUM:

“Opus III is a huge inspo for me right now,” she says. “If you wanted a teaser into what I’ve been thinking about, that’s what I’ve been on a lot. And just to make it clear, Beastie Boys is a huge inspiration to me. Beastie Boys will hit you with hard, loud and crazy rap, but they’ll also hit you with real raw 90s punk, which I love, or smooth techno that feels sexy and sleek. And you’ll be like, ‘Where the fuck did this come from?’” 

DOJA CAT ON IF HER NEW MUSIC WILL BE ROCK, POP, OR RAP:

“I want to take some of the beautiful elements of vocal distortion and play those into the music. I don’t know if what I’m doing is going to be pop, but I want to keep that in mind for when I go into the studio,” she shared before later revealing, “I’m crazy about putting different genres into the same album or even into the same song.”

*****

While she concluded the discussion about her new music by offering no update in terms of a tentative release date for the forthcoming opus, she did indicate a desire to release a few singles that “don’t connect to the project” ahead of its official unveiling.

Click here to see more from the eccentric photo shoot and read the accompanying interview in full.

[photo courtesy: Mikael Jansson for ‘DAZED’]

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