Hot Pink is Doja Cat's second studio album which was released on November 7, 2019 by Kemosabe and RCA Records.
Album Background[]
On October 23, 2019, Doja Cat posted a new picture on Instagram and said "I got something completely new for you guys on Thursday. #HOTPINK 🐍". The surprise was her new single "Rules" and then fans started to believe that the "#HOTPINK" is the album's name.
On November 2, 2019, she officially announced the album via her social networks. In addition to announcing the release date of the album, she also revealed the title of the project, tracklist and its cover. When Doja announced the tracklist, she blurred out the featured artist's name of the song "Like That" and later revealed that the featured artist was Gucci Mane.
Doja stated numerous times that she did not fully like her debut album, "Amala" and always thought it was not a "finished album."
She told Billboard: "I was smoking hella weed. I was high all the fucking time and it wasn't even helping me perceive what was going on musically. For this new album, it wasn't like that. This album is a compilation of when I stopped smoking weed, and all of the stuff that just poured out of my mind when I was sitting in bed, when I was on Instagram Live, when I'm just chilling and having a true moment to myself to just create and make shit that I felt good about. I was just lucid and happy and I think it really shows in this album."
Production[]
"Hot Pink" was recorded from 2018 until mid-2019. It features production from Doja Cat, Yeti Beats, Tyson Trax, KoOol kOjAk, tizhimself, Kurtis McKenzie, Ben Billions, Salaam Remi, Mike Crook, Fallen, Ari PenSmith, P2J, Blaq Tuxedo, Troy NöKA and Johng Beats, among others.
Dr. Luke produced five songs on the album under the pseudonym Tyson Trax. Doja wrote all of the songs on the album by herself with its producers and songwriters.
Artwork[]
In an interview, Doja described her album in the following words: "I named the album "Hot Pink" because I wanted people to feel that before they got into the music that it felt passionate, warm and welcoming. I think that the color hot pink describes those things the most. It's my favourite color and has been for my whole life, so for my second project where I've found myself and I'm more refined, I felt that this title was the best choice."
Tracklisting[]
- Cyber Sex 2:46
- Won't Bite (featuring Smino) 3:15
- Rules 3:07
- Bottom Bitch 3:18
- Say So 3:58
- Like That (featuring Gucci Mane) 2:43
- Talk Dirty 4:01
- Addiction 3:28
- Streets 3:47
- Shine 2:40
- Better Than Me 3:22
- Juicy (with Tyga) 3:23
Chart Performance[]
"Hot Pink" was released on November 7, 2019, on Thursday. Following the album's release, it debuted at #93 on the Billboard 200, with one-day sales of 7,900 copies. The next week, it rose to #19, earning 20,000 album-equivalent units in its first full week.
On March 9, 2020, the album had a 43-percent increase in sales after Doja's performance on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" as well as the release of the new music video for the song, "Say So" (which rised from #29 to a new peak of #17) selling 28,000 album-equivalent units, with 1,500 coming from pure albums sales.
On the chart dated May 16, 2020, the album reached a new peak of #9 on the Billboard 200, selling 37,000 album-equivalent units. It became her first album to reach the top ten on that chart.
In the United Kingdom, "Hot Pink" debuted at #96 in its first full week. On March 6, 2020, the album achieved a new peak of #41 on the chart in its sixth week, due to strong streaming numbers. The next week, it reached a new peak of #38 and was the seventh-most-streamed female album that week.
In the rest of the Europe and Oceania, following the success of her song "Say So", the album gained more popularity around March/April 2020, despite being released in late 2019.
So far, the album went top 10 in Estonia, Lithuania and Norway, peaking at number 3, 3 and 8, respectively.
"Hot Pink" also reached the top 40 on the official charts of countries like Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Netherlands, Finland, Ireland, Norway and Sweden.
Critical Reception[]
"Hot Pink" received generally favorable reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, the album received an average score of 76, based on 6 reviews.
Jordan Bassett of NME gave the album a 4-out-5-star-rating, and said: "Dlamini's [Doja Cat] taking no chances here and, now that the smoke's lifted, it's clear she’s a pop contender with the nous and drive to go as far as she wants."
Lucy Shanker of Consequence of Sound gave the album positive B- score, stating: "What Hot Pink lacks in layers of ridiculousness expected from a Doja Cat album, it makes up for in its versatility. It serves as a testament to Doja's skill set: Her singing, rapping, and producing shine effortlessly on the record on tracks that range in genre and topic. Whether she’s channeling her Summer Walker-esque sadness or delivering an ultra-pop smash hit, Doja never waivers. More so, Doja unveils layers of her usually untouchable self, which seems like we're being let in on a secret. There’s no question that she's in control throughout the record, even as the format reveals some weaknesses."
On another positive review, given by Redbrick's Roberta Carro, she said that the album "oozes feminine power" and "proves that Doja Cat is truly a master of versatility." She also called it "creative, adventurous, scandalous and sets Doja as a strong contender as one of today's most unique new artists."
Lakin Starling of Pitchfork gave the album a score of 7.4 out of 10, noted that Doja's versatility is a "gift", and unlike her debut album, "Amala", "Hot Pink"'s sound doesn’t feel "scattered" or "semi-rushed."
Erin Bashford of Clash called it "an album that knows exactly what it is, and it's the work of a well-crafted hip pop star with something to prove". and gave the album a 7-out-of-10-score-rating.