Doja Cat Defends ‘Vie’ Album Art Amid “Harsh Criticism”

Doja Cat has a message for fans who shared “harsh criticism” about the cover art for her anticipated Vie album. On Monday (Sept. 22), the rapper shared the official artwork on social media, with a lengthy explanation of the photo choice. In the artwork, the 29-year-old is wearing a tattered white gown and a bright yellow parachute that is caught in a tree with a serene, blue sky in the background.

“Falling in love is putting trust in the hands of yourself and others. The yellow parachute represents curiosity, happiness, and adventure. Flying you towards new experiences and scenes, taking a leap of faith, and holding no bounds. The tree represents life and wisdom,” she explained in the caption.

“Giving you a sense of safety within its branches, but the pain from the fall teaches you that those scratches can be healed. You don’t have to hit the ground. Love grows upward but more importantly down. It’s the roots that keep you steady. This is the cover of my album.”

After she learned of fans who did not care for the cover or its interpretation, the Grammy-winner doubled down on the purpose behind the art.

“You can’t make me feel bad for a cover that has visceral meaning,” she exclaimed. “The greatest armor is love and integrity. I forgive your harsh criticism but for me I won yet again for following my heart. If I was you I wouldn’t.”

Vie, which is the French word for “life,” is set to be released on Friday (Sept. 26) after she released the single “Jealous Type” last month.

“I do want to be self-aware enough to admit the fact that this is a pop-driven project,” she explained to V Magazine. “I know that I can make pop music, and pop is just that it’s popular. It starts to become a bit of a thing that’s viewed as a sport by people who are just bystanders to it, who enjoy it, but maybe also don’t respect it or what it is, which is just music. There are some people who don’t see it as music. They see it as if this is some kind of football for girls and gays.” 

“I want to focus more on: how does the mix sound? Do I even need these instruments here? Do I need to recut this verse? It’s how things sound that makes the music worth listening to. I would not be an artist if I didn’t care, right?” She added. “If for any reason a project of mine does a little less good than the last one, I don’t want to be up in arms and upset about it. I want to embrace that.” 

Earlier this month, she revealed a 15-song tracklist; however, she did not note any features. Check out the “Jealous Type” music video and full tracklist below.

Doja Cat Vie tracklist:

01. “Cards”
02. “Jealous Type”
03. “Aaahh Men!”
04. “Couples Therapy”
05. “Gorgeous”
06. “Stranger”
07. “All Mine”
08. “Take Me Dancing”
09. “Lipstain”
10. “Silly! Fun!”
11. “Acts Of Service”
12. “Make It Up”
13. “Happy”
14. “One More Time”
15. “Come Back”