Doja Cat addresses “harsh criticism” of new ‘Vie’ album cover

Doja Cat has hit back at “harsh criticism” from fans after sharing the new album cover for ‘Vie’.

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Back in April, the ‘Say So’ artist began teasing her new era, and since then has been steadily sharing snippets of the project. Last month, she hosted a surprise album-listening preview party and later announced the record is due for release this Friday (September 26). You can pre-order /pre-save here.

Ahead of the album rollout, she’s also been sharing a series of alternate covers, with most being visually in keeping with the apparent ’80s direction of her upcoming record. Today (Tuesday September 23), Doja shared the official cover, a marked departure from that aesthetic that sees her suspended from a yellow parachute stuck in the branches of a tree.

Explaining its significance, she told fans the parachute represented curiosity, happiness, and adventure. Writing on Instagram, she added that the tree was intended to reflect “life and wisdom”.

“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,” she wrote. “Love grows upward but more importantly down. It’s the roots that keep you steady. This is the cover of my album.”

It proved divisive among fans, many of whom said it felt out place with previous alternative covers she’d shared. “Pretty,” wrote one fan, “but I don’t get this roll out. Is it all 80’s inspired or was that just the lead song?

Some were harsher, quipping that “her budget must’ve been $50” and saying “artistically, this era is all over the place.”

After catching wind of the backlash, Doja took to X/Twitter to say: “You can’t make me feel bad for a cover that has visceral meaning. 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.”

One fan replied to the post, saying the latest cover didn’t “match the aesthetic of the album”, to which Doja replied: “It’s the perfect cover.”

SZA appeared to be in agreement, later reposting the new artwork and calling it “nuts”.

‘Vie’ by Doja Cat — out this friday pic.twitter.com/MH4hrWQH3K

— ໊ (@agorashills) September 23, 2025

In a recent interview with Apple Music 1’s Zane Lowe, Doja shared her experience working with former fun. member and Bleachers leader Jack Antonoff on ‘Vie’, saying “things fell together really naturally”.

She previously shared that the album will be more of a “pop-driven” version of her previous LP ‘Scarlet‘, and went on to explain how Antonoff had been instrumental in shaping that sound, saying: “He’s just been such a wonderful person to work with,” adding: “But yeah, I think it’s just been nice to play.”

‘Scarlet’ scored a three-star review from NME: “It all adds up to an overlong, slightly repetitive but ultimately compelling album of two halves… Still, by this stage, there’s no doubt that Doja has made her point – that she doesn’t owe us anything but to be herself.”