Singer-songwriter Doja Cat released her fifth album, “Scarlet,” on Sept. 22. With a total of 17 songs, this is her longest album yet, not including any of her deluxe album releases. 

Her mixed styles of R&B and Hip Hop captivate her listeners, awarding her with several Grammys and VMA awards. 

Doja has recently announced that she has decided to change her style of music, and Scarlet is a prime example of that. Her first songs were mainly centered in the pop genre, and swayed more in the pop/rap area on her incline to fame. However, her newest album is more grungy, and has a lot of darker tones that weren’t shown in her previous music. 

One song that really stood out to me was Ouchies. The catchy, straightforward nature of the chorus was constantly playing in my head, making it stand out above the rest of the track. I loved her use of sample sounds to add more chaos and disarray for the background of the song, especially considering it’s about disparaging comments from critics. 

Having a lot of unnecessary noise while she’s trying to sing is great symbolism for the people and critics trying to shut her down, or make her think she’s less than. Majority of the sounds continue throughout the entirety of the song-which is about her literally fighting the opposition-but is stopped when she starts to sing her empowering words. 

Doja is constantly using music to advocate self-empowerment-especially women, and her album really reflects that. Scarlet is all about finding power and confidence within yourself, and I think that Doja Cat has fulfilled these demands once again.