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Doja Cat is a rapper and songwriter who, over the past couple of years, has achieved viral popularity due to her risqué music videos and dance numbers. An acclaimed singer, Doja Cat has been nominated for three Grammy Awards and has received a slew of other awards and honors.

Although Doja Cat is a relative newcomer to the music scene, she actually has ties to the entertainment industry through her father, who is a popular performer in his own right in his home country of South Africa. 

Doja Cat poses for a photo on the red carpet
Doja Cat attends the 2020 American Music Awards | Emma McIntyre /AMA2020/Getty Images for dcp

When was Doja Cat born?

Doja Cat was born in Los Angeles in 1995. At birth, she was given the name Amalaratna Zandile Dlamini. She was raised primarily by her mother, who encouraged her love of music and dance from an early age.

When she was 16 years old, the young artist dropped out of high school in order to pursue a career in the music industry. Doja Cat’s career was slow to take off in the beginning, but she didn’t abandon her dreams of music stardom — writing and uploading songs to YouTube and SoundCloud.

It was around this time that Doja Cat selected her stage name. The artist later admitted that she chose her name because she thought “Doja” was a cute name for a girl and because she has always had a love for cats.

She released her debut in EP in 2014, but it would be a few more years before she really caught the attention of the music community. In 2018, Doja Cat began to go viral when she released the song “Mooo!” She followed up the success of that song with hits like “Say So” and “Candy.”

A famous father

As Doja Cat’s star continued to rise, fans began to learn more about the talented star. Fans learned that her father actually preceded her in the show business world, although he had focused his time and talents on film, rather than on music.

Her father, Dumisani Dlamini, is a South African actor and composer, whose most notable credit is the 1992 film Sarafina! opposite Whoopi Goldberg.

Sadly, it appears as though she does not have much of a relationship with her father, and has stated on several occasions that she is estranged from him. Dlamini has claimed that he is open to establishing a closer relationship with his famous daughter.

What is Doja Cat’s net worth?

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Over the past year, Doja Cat has become one of the biggest stars in the music industry. She has proven herself to be a very versatile artist, releasing songs that cross genres and impress critics.

She has worked with superstars like Nicki Minaj and Gucci Mane. While fans wait for the highly-anticipated release of her third album, it is clear that she isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

She has come a long way from the days of struggling to make ends meet and sleeping on floors — in fact, according to Celebrity Net Worth, Doja Cat’s net worth is around $4 million. 

Even though she doesn’t have the closest relationship with her father, it is possible that his success could have influenced her decision to pursue a career as a musical artist in some small way.