Credit: Spotify

Doja Cat is never afraid to speak her mind. The Los Angeles artist has blurred the lines between pop and hip-hop since the beginning of her career, resulting in some of the biggest records of the past decade. However, one of her most successful songs was one that she wasn’t convinced about at first, requiring her team to step in and make a decision.

Doja topped the charts in the UK and US in 2023 with ‘Paint the Town Red’, which famously samples Dionne Warwick’s classic 1964 song ‘Walk on By’. In the lyrics of the Grammy-nominated track, Doja stands by her bold opinions and shuts down her haters. Despite its success, she isn’t too proud to admit she’s wrong about her judgement. Doja didn’t want the song on her Scarlet album, but in hindsight, she’s glad her mind was changed.

“I thought ‘Paint the Town Red’ reminded me of like, Target or like Macy’s. It reminded me of like, GAP,” she told Apple Music. “I don’t why, it just kind of is that. And I know it starts with a curse word, and it’s like a little bit edgy in that sense and I say, ‘I’m a demon, Lord!’ Like yeah, I get that, but that song just had a very pants-up-high vibe. And you know I think strategically because I can be strategic.

“I think it was a good addition to the album and a strong addition to the album. I know that it’s a strong song. And I did [expect it to be as popular as it is] and I was kind of running that from a little bit. I didn’t really want to have that pants-up-high song, the goofy, kind of palatable.”

She continued, “I wanted to make a little bit of a darker, slower album but I don’t think this was the time for that. I think keeping it on the album was a smart move because I want to slowly trickle into sort of moodier vibes creatively. Like, I’m not gonna be doing that forever.”

‘Paint the Town Red’ was one of the biggest singles of 2023, accumulating over 1.4 billion Spotify streams since its release and 353 million music video views on YouTube. It became Doja’s second number one hit in the US following ‘Say So’, reaching the top spot in Canada, Australia, Ireland, Switzerland, and New Zealand.

Not only did the song become a huge hit, but Warwick also praised her. The 84-year-old singer wasn’t aware she was sampled until her granddaughter told her, but she was glad the current generation was being exposed to her music.

“I didn’t know it had been recorded by her,” she said on The Kelly Clarkson Show. “My granddaughter called me and says, ‘Grammy, do you know you’re on a record with Doja Cat?’ I said, ‘Doja who?’ Well, apparently, it’s a major hit for her. I’m thrilled. I hope ‘Walk on By’ is as good for her as it has been for me. They’re great songs, and finally [young people] are being exposed to some good music.”