Doja Cat is back with a single that touches on an issue that has plagued female entertainers for years. Doja Cat is Doja Cat, she’s not Nicki Minaj, Megan Thee Stallion, or any other rapper you may want to pit her against. She loves her bald hair and style, and she’s so done taking criticism. Why wouldn’t she? I bet if any of us had the success she achieved with her 2021 album Planet Her, we wouldn’t care about what any old troll had to say.
As the first single to be teased from her upcoming album, it really shows the growth Doja has done, not only musically, but in terms of the confidence she’s acquired following her success in the industry. “I am not afraid to finally say shit with my chest,” she raps, adding, “Lost a lil’ weight, but I ain’t never lost a tushy / Lookin’ good, but now my bald head match my / Lookin’ good, but now they all sayin’ that I’m ugly.”
“Attention” is about being who you are without caring about what other people think about it. However, that’s only the general theme, as she also addressed the need for some fans to compare her to peers like Nicki Minaj: “Why she think she Nicki M? She think she hot shit” / Huh, I never gave a F, go stir the pot, bitch / I got y’all head all in the dirt just like an ostrich/ Of course you bitches comparin’ Doja to who the hottest.” She also touched on her thankfulness to her team and the people who contributed to her success and scorched her haters by the way she casually waved away all the bad vibes.
Prior to the release of “Attention,” Doja peaked the curiosity of her fans with teases, instead of making an official announcement. The first hint that Doja could be working on new music was in April when she shared a list of tracks that could possibly make it into her upcoming album. There were no follow-up details until May when she shared several tweets containing the keywords “Doja Cat” and “Attention,” leading fans to believe “Attention” would be her first single off of the album. On May 9, she shared a snippet with fans on Instagram Live. Following the release of the song, Doja deleted all of her Twitter messages, leaving only one: “Scarlet is Here.”
In the accompanying music video, Doja Cat is shown walking on the street, being heckled and screamed at by different people, but not showing any emotional response, except through her facial expressions.
This is the first song Doja released after she promised to stop making “cash grab” and “mediocre pop” kind of music.
