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Amala (album)

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Amala
Standard edition cover[a]
Studio album by
Doja Cat
ReleasedMarch 30, 2018 (2018-03-30)
Recorded2016–2018
StudioThe Himalayas
(Los Angeles, California)
Genre
Length45:13
Label
Producer
Doja Cat chronology
Purrr!
(2014) 		Amala
(2018) 		Hot Pink
(2019)
Singles from Amala
  1. "Go to Town"
    Released: March 9, 2018
  2. "Candy"
    Released: March 23, 2018

Amala is the debut studio album by American rapper Doja Cat. It was released on March 30, 2018, by Kemosabe Records and RCA Records. The album's deluxe version was released on March 1, 2019, and featured her breakthrough singles "Juicy", "Tia Tamera", and "Mooo!". Her first commercial release in four years, Doja Cat has expressed strong disdain towards the record for a number of reasons.

Upon its release, Amala was initially a commercial failure and was largely ignored by critics.[1][3][4][5] In August 2018, the album and Doja Cat gained attention when her novelty song "Mooo!" became an internet meme.[6][7] As a result, songs "Candy" and "Juicy" became sleeper hits, and the album debuted on the Billboard 200 chart in August 2019. Amala would eventually peak at number 138 on the chart in November 2019, coinciding with the release of her second studio album, Hot Pink.

Background and release

[edit]

On March 27, 2018, Doja Cat's label announced the album via Twitter. In addition to announcing the release date of the album, they also revealed the title of the project and its cover.[8] When "Roll With Us" was released in February 2018 as the first promotional single, the album was originally titled Baby.[citation needed] Amala was later repackaged with a deluxe version on March 1, 2019, which added three new songs: "Juicy", "Tia Tamera", and "Mooo!".[6]

The album isn't so much of a conceptual piece. It's more of a compilation and I think it shows more of my versatility as an artist. The thing about the album is that I've written so many songs on that album that are from years and years ago. And there are some songs on it that were totally new, so the album consists of three phases in my life.

— Doja Cat on the background of Amala[9]

Doja Cat herself has expressed strong disdain toward the record, claiming that it does not entirely represent her as an artist.[10] She has also stated that she believes it is not a "finished album", partially due to her constantly partying and being high on marijuana during its recording.[11][12] Her first commercial release in four years, she revealed that it was also rushed in order to meet deadlines, and that it was made in a "difficult time" as she received "almost no support" before its release.[13]

Singles

[edit]

"Roll With Us" was released as the album's sole promotional single on February 1, 2018,[14] and entered the Spotify's Global Viral 50 chart upon release.[15] The album's lead single, titled "Go To Town", was released on March 9, 2018, along with a music video.[15][16] Doja Cat further went on to promote the single by appearing on Genius' show "Verified".[17] In an interview with Elle in May 2022, she stated she regretted putting the song out, stating that her not being vocally and lyrically evolved makes the song "really difficult to listen to" for her.[18]

A week before the album's release, "Candy", was released as the album's second single on March 23, 2018.[19] Only a year later would the track become a sleeper hit after a dance challenge on the app TikTok went viral in late 2019.[20] Consequently, the single charted in countries such as Australia, Canada and the United States, the latter having the song peak at 86 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming her first solo entry on the chart.[21]

The song "Mooo!" was originally released on August 10, 2018, exclusively to YouTube as a music video. The track would be the first of Doja's to become a viral phenomenon,[22][23] and would eventually surpass over eighty million views on YouTube as of October 2020. The track was subsequently released commercially on streaming services,[24] and would later serve as the first single off the deluxe edition of the album.[25]

The second single from the deluxe edition (fourth overall), titled "Tia Tamera", featuring American rapper Rico Nasty, was released on February 20, 2019.[26] A music video was released on the next day.[27][28]

Critical reception

[edit]

Ranking it among their favorite albums of the first half of 2018, NPR described Amala as a "13-track collection of bubbly, hip-hop-influenced indie pop" and "manifesto of a young woman striving to take ownership of her craft, her image and her sexuality, mixing genres like dancehall, trap, house and R&B with a healthy dose of sass and humor."[1]

Track listing

[edit]
Amala standard edition track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Go to Town"
3:37
2."Cookie Jar"
3:19
3."Roll with Us"
  • Dlamini
  • Sprecher
  • Chahayed
  • Powell
  • Yeti Beats
  • Tizhimself
  • Chahayed
3:00
4."Wine Pon You" (featuring Konshens)
  • Yeti Beats
  • Troy Nōka[b]
3:39
5."Fancy"
  • Dlamini
  • Sprecher
2:59
6."Wild Beach"
  • Dlamini
  • Collins
  • Sprecher
  • Elizabeth Getz
  • Terence Coles
  • Troy Nōka
  • Yeti Beats
3:24
7."Morning Light"
  • Dlamini
  • Sprecher
  • Cameron Bartolini
  • Aaron Miller
  • Aaron Harmon
  • Jordan Reyes
  • Yeti Beats
  • Cambo
3:59
8."Candy"
3:10
9."Game"
  • Dlamini
  • Sprecher
  • Adrian Eccleston
  • Bartolini
  • Yeti Beats
  • Adrian X
  • Cambo[b]
3:15
10."Casual"
  • Dlamini
  • Collins
  • Sprecher
  • Carlos Muñoz
  • Getz
  • Troy Nōka
  • Yeti Beats
  • Loshendrix
4:00
11."Down Low"
  • Cambo
  • Alizzz
3:31
12."Body Language"
  • Dlamini
  • Rytchi Pronzola
  • Bartolini
  • Richie Beats
  • Cambo[a]
4:05
13."All Nighter"
  • Dlamini
  • Sprecher
  • Doja Cat
  • Yeti Beats[a]
3:13
Total length:45:13
Amala — Deluxe version (bonus tracks)
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
14."Juicy"
3:20
15."Tia Tamera" (featuring Rico Nasty)
3:32
16."Mooo!"
  • Doja Cat
  • Troy Nōka[a]
  • Yeti Beats[a]
4:45
Total length:56:10

Notes

  • ^[a] signifies a co-producer
  • ^[b] signifies an additional producer
  • "Mooo!" contains portions of "Milkshake", as performed by Kelis from her 2003 album Tasty and "Move Bitch", as performed by Ludacris from his 2001 album Word of Mouf

Personnel

[edit]
  • Doja Cat – lead vocals (all tracks), engineering (track 16)
  • Neal H Pogue – mixing (tracks 1–13, 15)
  • Clint Gibbs – mixing (track 14)
  • Troy Nōka – mixing (track 16), background vocals (4)
  • Rian Lewis – engineering (tracks 1–3, 5, 7, 9, 12, 13)
  • Yeti Beats – engineering (tracks 3–10, 12, 13, 15)
  • Macgregor Leo – engineering (track 5)
  • Cambo – engineering (tracks 6–8, 10, 11)
  • Kalani Thompson – engineering (track 14)
  • Seth Ringo – engineering assistance (track 14)
  • Tyler Sheppard – engineering assistance (track 14)
  • Loshendrix – guitar (track 10)

Charts

[edit]
Chart performance for Amala
Chart (2019) Peak
position
Australia Hitseekers (ARIA)[29] 10
US Billboard 200[30] 138
US Top R&B Albums (Billboard)[31] 16

Certifications

[edit]
Certifications and sales for Amala
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[32] Platinum 40,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ)[33] Gold 7,500‡
Poland (ZPAV)[34] Gold 10,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[35] Silver 60,000‡
United States (RIAA)[36] Gold 500,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

[edit]
Release dates and formats for Amala
Region Date Format Version Label Ref.
Various March 30, 2018
Standard
[37]
March 1, 2019 Deluxe [38]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ The deluxe edition cover art depicts Doja Cat in a different pose, facing sideways while in a kneeling position. The word "deluxe" is printed in capital letters on the top right corner of the aforementioned cover art.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c Voynovskaya, Nastia (June 26, 2018). "NPR Music's 40 Favorite Albums Of 2018 (So Far)". NPR. Retrieved August 13, 2020. Amala [...] didn't get much attention from critics at the time of its March release
  2. ^ Collar, Matt (March 13, 2018). "Doja Cat - Amala Album Reviews, Songs & More / AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved July 26, 2023.
  3. ^ Zhang, Cat (October 30, 2020). "The Mystery of Doja Cat's Unimpeachable TikTok Reign". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 30, 2020. the uneventful release of her debut album, Amala
  4. ^ Janes, DeAnna (February 27, 2020). "Doja Cat Is the Artist Behind This Catchy Song You've Heard on TikTok". Oprah Magazine. Retrieved October 30, 2020. the release dropped with barely a whisper
  5. ^ Bassett, Jordan (August 29, 2018). "Doja Cat, you've been cancelled: how the novelty rapper became 2018's 'Milkshake Duck'". NME. Archived from the original on May 21, 2020. Retrieved May 4, 2020. the moderate success of her album 'Amala'
  6. ^ a b Mench, Chris (August 29, 2019). "Chart Climber: Doja Cat Moves Past The Meme With "Juicy"". Genius. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
  7. ^ Tan, Brandon (October 14, 2019). "Doja Cat: There's No Going Backward On Killer Frequencies". Flaunt. Retrieved December 4, 2020. Before 'Mooo!,' we hadn't really gotten any viral hits, or had any hits, period. We were doing okay, but things weren't at their fullest potential. That was the most significant part about 'Mooo!' going where it did—it allowed all my other work to have a foundation and have a pull.
  8. ^ RCA Records [verified account] [@RCARecords] (March 27, 2018). "THE WAIT IS OVER! @DojaCat's #Amala album arrives on 3/30" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  9. ^ Meyer-Horn, Maxim (March 10, 2019). "Interview: Meet Doja Cat, the Artist Behind the Legendary Song 'Mooo!'". Enfnts Terribles. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  10. ^ B Swift (October 15, 2019). "Doja Cat Is Not A Fan Of Her First Album". Hot 96.3. United States. Retrieved October 30, 2020. Event occurs at 3:31{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
  11. ^ Cho, Regina (November 22, 2019). "Doja Cat Feels Liberated and More Focused Than Ever: 'I'm So Pumped For My Life Right Now'". Billboard. Retrieved November 6, 2020. A lot of people liked Amala, and that's great. However, I don't think it was a finished album. I was smoking hella weed. I was high all the f--king time and it wasn't even helping me perceive what was going on musically. I was just really out there partying and it was a crazy time for me.
  12. ^ Penrose, Nerisha (November 11, 2020). "Doja Cat Just Wants to Make Rap Colorful". Elle. Retrieved November 6, 2020. she chalks it up to being high as a kite while recording her first album, Amala. "I had no idea what was going on 90 percent of the time," she admits. "I was young and partying every day and I was enjoying myself a little too much. I was also doing nothing a lot, so that whole era was really a blur for me."
  13. ^ Northman, Tora (April 11, 2019). "Doja Cat Interview: Music, Fashion and Career". Hypebae. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
  14. ^ "Roll With Us - Single by Doja Cat". Apple Music. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
  15. ^ a b Friedman, Michael H (March 9, 2018). "Doja Cat releases 'Go to Town'". Skope. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
  16. ^ Doja Cat (March 9, 2018). "Doja Cat - Go To Town (Official Video)". YouTube. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
  17. ^ "Doja Cat "Go To Town" Official Lyrics & Meaning | Verified". YouTube. Genius. June 22, 2018. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
  18. ^ "Doja Cat Rips Shots & Spills Tea On Her Social Media and A Song Release Regret on Thirst Trap | ELLE". YouTube. Elle. May 24, 2022. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
  19. ^ "Doja Cat Releases New Track "Candy" From Her Forthcoming Debut Album 'Amala' Due Out March 30th Via RCA Records". RCA Records. March 23, 2018. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
  20. ^ Juarez, Sierra (November 25, 2019). "Teens on TikTok are obsessed with Doja Cat's 'Candy'". The Daily Dot. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
  21. ^ "Doja Cat Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. United States. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
  22. ^ Pache, Juliana (August 14, 2018). "Doja Cat explains how she made her viral hit "Mooo!"". The Fader. Archived from the original on April 4, 2020. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  23. ^ Skelton, Eric (August 14, 2018). "Doja Cat Explains How Her Viral Banger "Mooo!" Came Together". Complex. Archived from the original on November 3, 2019. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  24. ^ Hussein, Wandera (August 27, 2018). "Doja Cat will release an updated version of "Moo" on Spotify and iTunes". The Fader. Archived from the original on October 28, 2019. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
  25. ^ Rouse, Isaac (March 2, 2019). "Doja Cat Shares a Deluxe Version of 'Amala'". Hypebeast. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
  26. ^ "Tia Tamera (feat. Rico Nasty) - Single by Doja Cat". Apple Music (US). Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  27. ^ Saponara, Michael (February 21, 2019). "Doja Cat & Rico Nasty 'Tia Tamera' Video: Watch". Billboard. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
  28. ^ Wass, Mike (21 February 2019). "Doja Cat & Rico Nasty Team Up For The Hilarious "Tia Tamera"". Idolator. Retrieved 2 March 2019.
  29. ^ "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing - 30 September 2019 - Issue #1538" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. September 30, 2019. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 9, 2019. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
  30. ^ "Doja Cat Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
  31. ^ ""Doja Cat Chart History (Top R&B Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  32. ^ "Brazilian album certifications – Doja Cat – Amala" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
  33. ^ "New Zealand album certifications – Doja Cat – Amala". Radioscope. Retrieved December 20, 2024. Type Amala in the "Search:" field.
  34. ^ "OLiS - oficjalna lista wyróżnień" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved October 25, 2024. Click "TYTUŁ" and enter Amala in the search box.
  35. ^ "British album certifications – Doja Cat – Amala". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  36. ^ "American album certifications – Doja Cat – Amala". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
  37. ^ "Amala by Doja Cat". iTunes Store. Archived from the original on August 16, 2019. Retrieved August 16, 2019.
  38. ^ "Amala (Deluxe Version) by Doja Cat". iTunes Store. Archived from the original on August 16, 2019. Retrieved August 16, 2019.
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