It had it's moments, I think as an artist she has a lot of like.... weirdness she can tap into, for lack of better word, but a lot of this was kinda straightfoward. It's some well made stuff, but I still like her first album the most where I heard a lot more unique aspects of her music. Album's worth a listen still, but I think she could do something great if she put her mind to it
Would be a big fan of an album's worth of "Woman" style jams. I know it's not chart topping, but I think she's pretty good at the whole reggae-influenced hip hop, there's a bit more on her debut as well
Both situations seem to be different though. Kim isn't contractually obligated to exclusively work with him and indirectly (through Aaron Joseph, one of her other collaborators) has admitted it was her choice to continue to do so. On the other hand, Doja, even though I don't remember seeing her make an official statement, has made various hints of having been stuck in a contract she made when she was 17, before any allegations were made against Dr. Luke. Supposedly, that contract would involve him being involved in her releases regardless of her consent. I'm not sure about the specifics either, I'd have to go back to another forum where all that info was scattered over the years, but this might explain why he's strangely behind all the singles this time, while the rest of the album was pretty much done by much smaller producers. But yeah, until she starts openly speaking out against him, I understand taking all that with a grain of salt. This situation has left me with mixed feelings towards her post-Amala stuff too, and right now I feel like I'm naively holding onto the slimmer hope that the "theories" above turn out to be true further down the line.
This article just came out and I think this is the first time I see a publication discuss her ties to Dr. Luke in a nuanced way. In a broader way, this is about his unfortunate and inescapable presence in the pop landscape. A recommended reading. The Pop Music You Listen to Really Does Matter
I feel like Doja Cat's music doesn't speak to her ability. Watch her Cave episode with Kenny Beats, listen to her older music. This album feels really designed for the charts and leaves a bad taste in my mouth, which is a shame because she's so talented.
She must be, a lot of these venues on the jingle ball tour require full vaccination status. And from what I've heard they're just as strict with that with the performers and crew as they are with attendees.
Not sure how much stock to put into this, but apparently Doja got called out by fans and reporters during a couple South American festival sets this week for looking disinterested and noticeably lip syncing. She tweeted back at a bunch of fans and got very defensive, then deleted everything and made a post saying she's quitting music.
Sounds like she's really burnt out. But she's not gonna quit, she probably just needs time to recharge.