Doja Cat Sets The Stage For "Scarlet" With 2023 VMAs Performance: Watch

BYAron A.Published on September 13, 20231.7K Views

Doja Cat performs onstage at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards held at Prudential Center on September 12, 2023 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images)

Doja Cat performed "Paint The Town Red," "Attention," and "Demons" at the VMAs.

We’re a few weeks away from the release of Doja Cat’s forthcoming album Scarlet and the anticipation is real. It’s been two years since the release of Planet Her, which undoubtedly cemented her status as a generational star. However, in the two years since, Doja’s made a concerted effort to push back at those criticizing her status as an MC. Despite being a global icon, she felt as though the masses weren’t fully appreciating her bars.

In the past few months, she’s unveiled a handful of singles, including “Attention,” “Paint The Town Red,” and the controversial, “Demons.” Ultimately, it seems as though she’s gearing up to deliver a body of work that encapsulates her creative vision. On Tuesday night, just before she hit the VMAs stage, she unveiled the 15-song tracklist for the project which, surprisingly, doesn’t boast a single feature whatsoever. Based on the singles so far, we’re excited to see what she has in store.

Doja Cat Delivers Stunning Medley At VMAs

In anticipation of Scarlet’s release on September 22nd, Doja Cat brought the heat to the VMA stage. The rapper came through with a stunning medley including her latest singles. Kicking her performance from the crowd, she donned a business suit in what appears to be a subtle homage to Britney Spears, backed with dancers draped in red from head-to-toe, before leaping into “Paint The Town Red” and closing out with her latest single, “Demons.”

The energetic performance might indicate what we should expect from her this fall when she embarks on the Scarlet tour. Kicking off at San Francisco’s Chase Center on October 31st, the 24-show tour will touch down in cities like Los Angeles, Atlanta, Brooklyn, and more before concluding in Chicago on December 13th. Additionally, Ice Spice and Doechii will serve as the openers. The latter will hold down the first 11 dates of the tour before rejoining Doja Cat in Tampa on Nov 24th. Meanwhile, the “Barbie World” rapper will open up for Doja Cat in Miami before closing out the remainder of the tour with the Scarlet rapper.

About The Author

Aron A.

Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.