Doja Cat has quite a complicated relationship with her music and her fans. Most recently, her album, "Scarlet" has received a lot of buzz online because of her repeated trolling on what the album's sound was, the changing album title, and notoriously, her beef with her own fans.
While the headlines surely talked about Doja Cat almost every day, it surely wasn't enough to pull the album to the top when it arrived.
Doja Cat 'Scarlet' Billboard 200
According to Luminate, "Scarlet" amassed only 72,000 album-equivalent units, with 65,000 attributed to streaming. Surprisingly, there had only been 6,000 pure album sales and track units only a thousand.
It landed at No. 4 on the Billboard 200, making it the biggest debut of the week on the charts. The record boasted three tracks on the Hot 100 charts prior to the album's release - "Attention," "Demons," and the current Hot 100 leader, "Paint The Town Red."
However, the effort wasn't clearly enough to land Doja her first No. 1 album. "Planet Her" only debuted at No. 2 while "Hot Pink" launched at No. 9. Her debut album, "Amala" opened at No. 139.
Although a No. 4 debut isn't actually low, a lot was expected for Doja, considering how big of an artist she is. Her 72,000 album units were quite low considering that she has failed to out-debut Rod Wave, Olivia Rodrigo, and Morgan Wallen, who all stood at Nos. 1 to 3 this week.
Doja Cat 'Scarlet' Debut Causes Debate On Her Longevity, Impact
Billboard Staffers pooled in and talked about what they thought caused Doja Cat's underwhelming debut.
"While Doja Cat continues to dominate the rap music sphere, I think her controversial statements (especially about her own fans) works against her," a staffer explained, echoing other staffer's thoughts about Doja Cat's "Scarlet" debut.
Some staffer also pointed out that Doja's power on the charts is not her launch, but instead, her longevity - but only if she would utilize it to her advantage.
"It very well could especially if Doja Cat uses the horror element to her advantage. Listeners seem to have positive reactions to her new album and if she enters October, which is also spooky season, with the same amount of drive that she had while promoting her singles, then it could definitely hit more singles," a staffer elaborated.
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