Interviewer: You are entering a particularly interesting period in your career. Vie has introduced another side of your artistry, while your global tour is taking that music to audiences around the world. What feels different about this chapter?
Doja Cat: I think I’m more comfortable trusting my instincts. Every project teaches you something about yourself, and I’ve reached a point where I’m less interested in meeting expectations and more interested in following an idea wherever it takes me.
Interviewer: Vie draws from several earlier musical eras while still sounding contemporary. What attracts you to looking backward while creating something new?
Doja Cat: I love studying music. The past gives you so many textures, sounds and ideas to work with. But I don’t want to recreate another era. I want to take something I love from it and turn it into something that feels like me.
Vie, released in September 2025, is Doja Cat’s fifth studio album, and her current Tour Ma Vie World Tour is supporting the project. The 2026 schedule includes Latin America, Europe, the UK and North America, culminating at Madison Square Garden in December.
Interviewer: Your career has never been easy to categorize. Do you see yourself primarily as a rapper, pop artist, singer, songwriter or something else?
Doja Cat: I don’t really think about it that way. Genres are useful for describing music, but they can also become limitations. If I want to rap on one song and approach another like a pop record, that’s part of the freedom I want as an artist.
Interviewer: Artificial intelligence has become one of the biggest debates in the music industry. You recently criticized Tyga over his use of AI on $tarface. Why does the issue matter to you?
Doja Cat: Because creativity is personal. Technology can be incredibly useful, but I think we have to be careful about where we draw the line. There is a difference between using technology as a tool and allowing technology to replace the human element that makes music meaningful.
Doja Cat’s comments became a major music-industry talking point in August 2026 after she criticized Tyga’s use of AI in $tarface. Tyga subsequently defended his approach, explaining that he used AI for elements including 1980s-inspired synths and guitars while writing the lyrics and performing the vocals himself.
Interviewer: Do you think AI will ultimately change what audiences consider authentic music?
Doja Cat: It probably will change the conversation. But I don’t think people will stop wanting something human. Music is emotional. People want to understand where something came from and why it was made. Technology can change the process, but it doesn’t automatically create meaning.
Interviewer: Your comments also demonstrate how willing you are to speak publicly, even when you know your words may become headlines. Has that become more difficult with fame?
Doja Cat: You become aware that everything can be taken out of context. But I also don’t want to become afraid of speaking. I’m a person before I’m an artist, and people are going to see different sides of me. That’s part of being human.
Interviewer: Social media has played a major role in your career. Do you think artists today have too much pressure to constantly be accessible?
Doja Cat: Absolutely. There can be an expectation that you’re always supposed to perform—even when you’re not performing. Sometimes you need to disappear, think, live your life and come back with something real.
Interviewer: Your relationship with your audience has also evolved. What have you learned about fame that you couldn’t have understood earlier in your career?
Doja Cat: Fame can make everything louder. Praise becomes louder, criticism becomes louder and even small things can become stories. You have to develop your own sense of who you are, otherwise you’re constantly allowing other people to define you.
Interviewer: Your visuals have always been an important part of your identity. How much control do you want over the world surrounding your music?
Doja Cat: A lot. Music is only one part of the experience for me. I think about the visuals, styling, performance and atmosphere. When those things work together, you can create something much bigger than a song.
Interviewer: You’re also heading into one of the biggest touring periods of your career. What does performing on that scale demand from you?
Doja Cat: Discipline. A huge tour isn’t just about going on stage and performing for two hours. It’s preparation, stamina, rehearsals, travel and making sure you’re mentally present. You have to respect the audience enough to give them your best.
Her Tour Ma Vie World Tour is billed as her biggest tour to date, with 2026 dates across multiple continents. Latto is also scheduled to join the North American leg as a special guest.
Interviewer: What does collaboration mean to you now?
Doja Cat: I want collaborations to feel natural. I’m not interested in putting two names together simply because it looks impressive on paper. There needs to be chemistry, whether that’s musical, creative or personal.
Interviewer: You’ve achieved commercial success, critical recognition and a massive global audience. What still motivates you?
Doja Cat: Curiosity. I don’t want to feel like I’ve figured everything out. The moment you think you know exactly what you’re doing, you can stop growing.
Interviewer: What is the biggest misconception people have about you?
Doja Cat: That they know me because they’ve seen me online. There’s a difference between knowing someone’s public personality and knowing the person. I think that’s true for every artist.
Interviewer: And what do you want the next chapter of Doja Cat’s career to represent?
Doja Cat: Freedom. I want to keep experimenting without worrying about whether something fits neatly into what people expect from me. If I can continue surprising myself, hopefully I can continue surprising everyone else too.
Interviewer: Finally, when people look back at this period of your career years from now, what would you like them to remember?
Doja Cat: That I wasn’t afraid to change. That’s probably the most important thing. I want the music to show that I kept moving.
