Doja Cat arrived at Utilita Arena and made the hottest day in Birmingham even hotter. The American singer and rapper brought her Tour Ma Vie Tour to Utilita Arena Birmingham last night, and with it, she brought energy, joy, and serious talent.
The whole gig was a celebration of excellent music, of which Doja Cat has an abundance. Her latest album ‘Vie’ is a 1980s-inspired combination of uplifting vocals, fun lyrics, and her iconic rapping. It works well and is even better live.
The stage is a disco dance floor, paired with one band clad in pink sparkly suits, two backing singers in flares, and three men dancing while playing saxophones and other brass instruments. The music comes to life.
Doja Cat can captivate an audience, too. She certainly grabbed the attention of the roughly 15,800 people inside Utilita Arena yesterday. Her dancing is transfixing. When performing newest singles such as ‘Cards’ and ‘Gorgeous’, she strutted around the stage like a 1980s pop star, bobbing her head and bouncing her knees, dragging her mic stand behind her, at one with her music.
But this was just one side of Doja Cat. Sandwiched between her brightly coloured bops were a series of high-energy, mosh pit-worthy rap tunes. While it is tricky to sing along to some of these tunes, almost every tune has a catchy and quippy verse the audience can scream at the top of their lungs.
Something I have always loved about Doja Cat is her candid lyrics about getting down and dirty, and actually enjoying it, as a woman. When it came to these songs, she did not hold back. I have never seen a singer dangle their microphone from their legs, hooking it onto a high heel while spitting bars, until last night. That is the wonderful thing about Doja Cat. She is full of surprises.
It was a phenomenal show. She rarely broke character, jumping from song to song with an energy I only ever dream of replicating. But there were occasional moments of tenderness. Seeing Doja Cat smile at the crowd or throw roses to the audience after the show had ended, taking time to give out each individual flower, I was touched.
She genuinely loves what she does, from making the music to performing it live. I was proud this LA-born, award-winning pop star brought her A-game for Birmingham. No matter where she is playing, she goes all out.
