Photo: Kevin Mazur/Getty
Doja Catis minutes away from her first public performance since undergoingtonsil surgery, and the nerves surrounding an on-stage return seem to be the last thing on her mind.
“I’m washed out,” Doja jokes with PEOPLE as a neon JBL sign blurs her screen. “I look like the alien fromCocoon.”
The background sign that momentarily takes over Doja’s Zoom screen, as she compares herself to a creature from a 1985Ron Howardfilm, is just a flashy reminder of what Doja is up to in Las Vegas during her Wednesday catch-up with PEOPLE. The pop superstar, 26, is preparing for what’s essentially her comeback performance at the Virgin Hotels Las Vegas as part ofJBL Fest– a three-night entertainment experience featuring fellow global brand ambassadors The Kid LAROI,Bebe Rexhaand Martin Garrix, as well as opportunities for JBL fans to immerse themselves in gaming and sports.
Months after having topull out of her opening sloton The Weeknd’sAfter Hours Till Dawn Tourthis summer as a result of an abscess in her left tonsil, Doja is ready to perform again at the event’s JBL Live show. She’s practically totally healed too as she works on her new music, she tells PEOPLE, and has a newfound love for Velveeta shells after her surgeries. But her love for performing, on this night forsome of Doja’s biggest fans, surpasses that of even the most digestible pasta.
Ahead of her performance, Doja spoke with PEOPLE about recovering from her surgery, being “bald and cute” in her newIt’s Giving merch line, and why she doesn’t plan on revealing anything about her upcoming album. You’re going to have to “beg and plead” for that information.
With you being a global ambassador for JBL, yourauthenticity as an artistwas cited as a main reason for this partnership. What would you say has been your key, over the last few years, to remaining authentic to your vision in music?
I’m not sure, I think it’s just ranting on Twitter. I wouldn’t recommend that to anyone. Just having the right people around me has helped me a lot, and having people tell me not to do certain things and to do certain things. I think, when people agree with you all the time, you sort of lose yourself. And people tell you you’re doing great or that you’re an idiot, it’s good. You need all of it. You need all of that all the time.
Kevin Mazur/Getty
This is one of your first performances back afteryour throat surgery. How was that process of resting your voice for those weeks after? I read that it could take a few weeks.
How did you spend that time of quietness?
Ice cream. So much, so much ice cream. And just soft food, which is really nice. I started eating like a child again, which I was excited for. I think that was the best thing that came out of it. But yeah, and then getting back into eating like an adult again was hard, but it was really useful. [I’ve had enough] Velveeta shells.
I’m gonna have to get myself some after this. But I’m glad you’re back on track, and you have this show. Obviously, with this event set in Vegas, you have the opportunity to playa song called “Vegas"in Vegas. What does it mean for you when you see a track like “Vegas” (from theElvissoundtrack) continue to rise on the charts, and on radio, even as a non-album single?
It’s amazing. It happens with other people, you know, when artists have a song in a movie, and it goes really big. I never thought about it before. I was just like, “Oh, that’s a big pop song.” But when it happens to you, and you’re just like, “Oh, I’m doing this thing for a movie,” you think that maybe the movie is more important. It’s not about you, and you’re just creating an atmosphere… I didn’t think that it would be such a moment for me. It was really something to give to that crew, to get to Baz [Luhrmann] to enhance the film. I didn’t know it was going to be so about it.
I think a better question too would be, what is the sound of your next albumnotgoing to be?
What’s it not going to be? laughs
That’s the best we’re gonna do right now.
I don’t know, man. I cannot say. I’m not gonna tell you! I’m not gonna tell anybody anything. I don’t care how much people beg and plead.
I’m not gonna beg and plead. Just gonna keep it pushing here! This year also saw you branch out into the “It’s Giving” merch line. What was your favorite part of the process, conceptualizing that?
That was a long process but it was worth it, because I got to understand how to put things together like that. I’ve done merch with people, and the person who helped design some of these clothes with me was a really close friend. So that’s really nice to have. He’s so talented. And I just really wanted simplicity. I didn’t want to go too crazy for the first drop. We have a holiday drop coming up, which is going to be a little bit more fun, and wanting to add a little bit more of a flair to it, and girly flair. But yeah, I just wanted to create some really wearable pieces, and it was fun doing thewhole paparazzi thing with that, I loved it. I messed up the rollout for that, not the whole thing. But when I shaved my head, I was supposed to do a reveal with the It’s Giving line to the paparazzi. Instead Iwent on Live and shaved my eyebrows. So I took the much rougher route, where everyone thought I was insane. Instead of just bald and cute.
What would you say this next year for you is going to mean when you look at music, when you look at this holiday line, and all that you’re working on? What do you hope fans can take away from this moment for Doja Cat?
I want my fans to feel like they can — it’s cliché, but I want them to feel like they can do whatever makes them happy. I want them to express themselves the way that they want to. I want them to never be afraid to take a risk when it comes to music or fashion or, you know, being creative. That’s just like everybody’s message in a way, but I really do believe that I want my fans to feel that way.
source: people.com
