Even in our post-genre era, Doja Cat remains hard to pigeonhole. Since hitting superstardom in 2019, her hits have shifted between hip-hop, pop, R&B, Afrobeat, and even indie singer-songwriter. But even with all that, I didn’t expect Vie.
In the lead-up, buzz suggested Vie would be a retro pop album. And it is, but let’s be honest, every third song on mainstream radio these days can claim some retro element. Like, here’s a little ’80s Latin freestyle synth, or a dash of early ’90s smooth production. Usually, it’s a flourish that plays like a sonic callback on an otherwise clearly modern song.
So it was refreshing to hear Doja Cat say fuck that formula.
Here, Doja is blending all the genres and elements she loves into her own personal capital-P Pop sound. Yes, the synthetic beats and sax on opening track “Cards” confirm that Vie is her ’80s pop album, but that’s just the starting point. She covers the true breadth of ’80s pop. Early single “Jealous Type” brings Control-era Janet Jackson vibes, while “Couples Therapy” is more of a sultry Prince groove, and“All Mine” calls to mind Anita Baker R&B. Well, after you get past an ’80s reference I never expected in 2025: the Grace Jones dialog sample from Conan the Destroyer that opens “All Mine.” That touch of shock is what separates Vie from other ’80s-loving homages. Doja always adds something unexpected to the proceedings, whether it’s a tight rap bridge (“Jealous Type”), backing falsettos (“Couples Therapy”), or a Go Team!-ish schoolyard chant outro (“All Mine”).
This playful experimentation continues across the album. “AAAHH Men!” is a pulsing, future club shout-along built atop the Knight Rider theme song and Busta Rhymes’ 1998 rave up “Turn It Up/Fire It Up (Remix).” “Stranger” finds Doja playing with melodies and synths you’d hear on 2010’s indie pop for an ode to owning one’s queerness. Re-teaming with Sza could have been predicted, but it’s on “Take Me Dancing,” a song that otherwise sounds like something I could’ve heard rollerskating in 1987. Hell, Doja Cat even shows that she can be a one-person HAIM on the album closer, “Come Back.”
Of course, as is often the case when you swing for the fences—or when you don’t cut down a 15-track album—not every song is a stand-out. Oddly, the moments that pop the least are the ones that sound most like modern pop. There is a block of songs on the last third— “Silly! Fun!”, “Acts of Service,” and “Make It Up”—that sound like the radio-friendly, expected follow-ups to hits like “Say So” or “Agora Hills.” They’re solid enough, but feel tame compared to the joyful surprises across the rest of the album. But hey, maybe having a few too many songs makes Vie even more of a throwback to the CD era?
Across all of Vie, though, Doja Cat feels like she’s opening up, putting more of herself in her lyrics to the point of risking vulnerability. In doing so, she ultimately comes off stronger and more confident than ever. Earlier this week, people online criticized Vie’s cover photo—of Doja in white dress, dangling from a yellow parachute that’s caught in a tree—as not matching their expectations. But that’s what’s so refreshing about Vie. We need more artists—especially pop stars at Doja Cat’s level—to take big leaps. Sure, maybe they’ll crash into a tree, but in this case, she sticks the landing.
