Doja Lets the Cat out of the Bag, Announcing Herself as the New Global Brand Ambassador for JBL®

The global music sensation reveals hidden message on the Grammys red carpet

Photo credits Johnny Nunez/Getty Images/Courtesy of JBL

STAMFORD, Conn. – April 4, 2022 – The secret is out, Kittenz. JBL announces its latest global ambassador, teaming up for a collaborative partnership with global superstar Doja Cat. The Grammy winner for Best Pop Duo teased her JBL ambassadorship on social media leading into last night’s Grammy awards before commanding attention on the red carpet. Her one-of-a-kind custom hand-blown glass handbag with a blinged out JBL Clip 4 attached turned the conversation from “what are you wearing,” to “what are you listening to?”.

The answer was loud and clear: JBL and Doja are teaming up in a big way. Fans everywhere need no longer wonder what happens when the best in sound meets today’s hottest artist. Special performances and unexpected moments throughout the campaign will give fans front-row seats to unfiltered experiences that will leave them wanting more.

“I’m excited to be working with JBL. From the start of the partnership they have made it clear that they are here to support me and my ideas about their products. That is easy for me because I actually love their speakers and I carry them around with me wherever I go. I’d wear clothes made of JBL speakers if I could,” said Doja Cat. “I can’t wait for everyone to see all the cool things we’re doing, including something coming really soon for my biggest fans.”

Doja is the latest superstar to ink a deal with JBL, joining an all-star roster of ambassadors like Bebe Rexha, DJ Martin Garrix and basketball player Giannis Antetokounmpo. There will be a variety of JBL x Doja Cat activations throughout the partnership, including Doja serving as the face of the brand’s 2022 “Dare To” campaign highlighting JBL products and encouraging consumers to be their most authentic selves.  Doja superfans will be given the opportunity of a lifetime and access like never before through unexpected moments leading to the superstar’s headlining performance at the explosive return of JBL Fest this September in Las Vegas.

Doja launched her music career online at a young age and became an internet phenomenon after the release of her single “Mooo!” in 2018. This January, Doja was handed Female Rapper of the Year for the XXL Awards 2022, and earlier this month, Billboard’s 2022 Women in Music event recognized Doja with the Powerhouse Award. Outside of her music, Doja’s daring personality and eccentric humor have enabled her to create a deep and meaningful connection with her fans through social media. With interests running the gamut of fashion, culture and gaming, millions of people all over the world can relate to her on a personal level. 

“Doja Cat is as authentic as it gets. She’s an adept musician and incredible performer with a strong visual presence, which is hard to find,” said Ralph Santana, Chief Marketing Officer at HARMAN. “She has the unique gift of connecting with fans across a variety of demographics, particularly Gen Z, which makes her the perfect fit for JBL. We are beyond excited to join forces with her to bring together fans from a wide range of backgrounds and encourage everyone to exercise their individuality through personal expression in unexpected ways.”

ABOUT JBL 

For over 75 years, JBL has shaped life’s most memorable moments at the intersection of music, lifestyle, gaming and sports. JBL elevates listening experiences with superior audio quality and product designs that encourage individuality and self-expression. With unmatched professional credentials and industry-leading innovation, JBL is a trailblazer in the audio industry because of passionate and talented engineers and designers around the globe. JBL Pro Sound is the foremost technology pushing culture forward through major pop culture events and partnerships with the world’s top talent across music, sports and esports.

ABOUT HARMAN 

HARMAN (harman.com) designs and engineers connected products and solutions for automakers, consumers, and enterprises worldwide, including connected car systems, audio and visual products, enterprise automation solutions; and services supporting the Internet of Things. With leading brands including AKG®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon®, Mark Levinson® and Revel®, HARMAN is admired by audiophiles, musicians and the entertainment venues where they perform around the world. More than 50 million automobiles on the road today are equipped with HARMAN audio and connected car systems. Our software services power billions of mobile devices and systems that are connected, integrated and secure across all platforms, from work and home to car and mobile. HARMAN has a workforce of approximately 30,000 people across the Americas, Europe, and Asia. In 2017, HARMAN became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

ABOUT DOJA CAT

11-time GRAMMY nominee Doja Cat made her first upload to Soundcloud in 2013 at just 16-years-old. Having grown up in and around the LA area, she developed a knack for music by studying piano and dance as a kid and listening to the likes of Busta Rhymes, Erykah Badu, Nicki Minaj, Drake, and more. Soon, she went from obsessing over Catwoman (the Halle Berry version) to crate digging on YouTube. The budding talent taught herself Logic and how to compose on a midi controller. Signed to Kemosabe/RCA in 2014, she released her Purrr! EP and followed that with her debut album Amala in spring 2018, but it was her August 2018 release of “Mooo!” which catapulted her into the mainstream and was met with critical acclaim.

Doja Cat released her sophomore album Hot Pink in November 2019 to mass critical acclaim, the album was a platinum success with over 14.5 billion streams worldwide. Hot Pink features “Juicy” which hit #1 at Rhythm radio, “Say So” her GRAMMY nominated #1 smash record and “Streets”, the viral sensation that soundtracked the ‘Silhouette Challenge,’ one of the biggest TikTok trends to date. The success of “Say So” which hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and has been RIAA certified 4x platinum and streamed over 6.7 billion times catapulted Doja into global superstardom. She has taken home the Best New Artist Award at the MTV Video Music Awards, the MTV Europe Music Awards, the American Music Awards, the iHeart Radio Awards and the People’s Choice Awards.

Doja’s creativity and showmanship as a performer have been praised time and time again, she has delivered unique and show stopping performances on nearly all the major Award Show stages including the GRAMMY Awards, the AMAs, the Billboard Awards, the iHeart Radio Awards and the MTV VMAs and EMAs. Her last tour sold out in 10 minutes and she has played numerous festivals including Rap Caviar Live Miami, Posty Fest, Day n Vegas and Rolling Loud LA.

Doja Cat’s GRAMMY nominated album Planet Her came out in June 2021 and dominated the charts, debuting at #1 on the Billboard Top R&B Albums chart and #2 on the Billboard Top 200 and Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, marking Doja Cat’s career best and highest debut to date with 109K in total activity in the US alone. Spanning a range of genres Planet Her also generated the highest first day Spotify streams for an album by a female rapper, was the top Pop album upon release based on consumption according to MRC data, and marks both the biggest debut for female rapper and the top female R&B debut of 2021. GRAMMY nominated “Kiss Me More” ft. SZA, the lead single off Planet Heris certified platinum by the RIAA and hit #1 at Top 40 and Rhythm radio with over 2.8 billion streams worldwide. Doja Cat recently became the first rapper to have 3 songs in the Top 10 at Top 40 radio. Amongst others, Doja has received 5 AMAs, 3 MTV VMAs, 3 BMI Awards, 2 MTV EMAs, 1 Billboard Music Award and 1 NAACP Image Award along with countless nominations including 11 GRAMMY Awards.

For more information: 

Marije Bakker

Director PR & Communications, Lifestyle EMEA

marije.bakker@harman.com