On July 23rd, rapper and singer Doja Cat received backlash “after telling her fans she doesn’t love or even know them”. As a result, she lost over 500,000 followers on Instagram and caused many articles to come out about the situation. Reading about this situation caused me to ask myself whether an artist owes their fans attention.
Digging into this situation Doja Cat has a history of trolling and controversy. After her breakout song “Say So” in 2020 her career catapulted causing her to gain more popularity and even more fans. This has also caused her to have more attention than she ever expected. Earlier in her career, she would tell fans that she loved them and that even had a poll to name her fans the Kittens. What has caused this sudden change in behavior?
According to a Buzzfeed article titled “Doja Cat Reportedly Called Her Hardcore Fans “Creepy” And Said They Need To “Get A Job” Days After Appearing To Slam People Who Criticized Her Controversial Romance With J. Cyrus”, this fan disconnect started when she started dating streamer J. Cyrus. Fans tweeted Doja informing her about her boyfriend’s multiple assault and abuse accusations to which she prompted her to call these fans “miserable” and that she doesn’t care what people think or her personal life. This caused many fans to speak out about her dismissal of these accusations. Which boiled over when a fan asked her to tell her fans that she loved them. To which she responded, “I don’t, and I don’t even know y’all.” And when another fan tweeted, “We don’t know you, but we support you, and you would be nothing without us,” Doja responded, “Nobody forced you”.
Overall, I agree with Doja Cat about this situation. No one is forcing you to listen to her music if she does not align with your beliefs and morals. Celebrities, like all people, shift their beliefs and change as they age. Artists are not required to be a role model to their fans. As a fan, it is important to align your loyalty to someone like your morals and stop supporting those who no longer fit your standards.
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