ຮ້ອນເຊັ່ນໄຟ
DOECHII
words by Michael Cuby
images by Kanya Iwana
Doechii has always set intentions for herself.
"I don't know how to explain this, but I just feel very intuitive and I know when I'm ready for certain things," the rapper tells me matter of factly one July afternoon, sitting at home in Los Angeles as she gets her glam done before a busy day of content creation and music making. "I have a very deep spiritual connection with God, so a lot of my intentions are just set from visions that I get."
Take her name, for example. Born Jaylah Hickmon, the recording artist started going by "Doechii" in middle school in a bold move to separate herself from her more conformist peers. "I was like, you know what? I'm going to be who I am. I'm going to be a superstar and brand myself." Though she "didn't even know what 'branding' was at the time," she knew she was meant to stand out. "I started wearing these tutus and coming up with silhouettes, just implementing my creativity. I started to mold this woman that God kept showing me I would be. And now, I'm her."
Whatever God's vision was, it must have included great success. Over the last seven years, Doechii has risen from the depths of Soundcloud to the upper reaches of the Billboard charts. Though she's yet to release an official debut album, she's already scored collaborations with artists like Janelle Monáe, Ravyn Lenae, and SZA. Doja Cat is a huge fan, as is UGK's Bun B. She's such a hot commodity right now that, when asked to reflect on 2023 alone, she has to pause to refresh her memory. "Coachella. ເພງຕາຕະລາງທໍາອິດຂອງຂ້ອຍ. ແລະ Billboard Women In Music ແມ່ນປີນີ້ຄືກັນ, ຖືກຕ້ອງ?" (ມັນແມ່ນ. ນາງໄດ້ຊະນະລາງວັນ Rising Star.) ການຕັ້ງໃຈຕັ້ງໃຈໄດ້ເຮັດວຽກຢ່າງຈະແຈ້ງສໍາລັບ Doechii ມາຮອດປັດຈຸບັນ. ສະນັ້ນເມື່ອນາງເວົ້າ, "ໃນທີ່ສຸດ, ມັນຈະເປັນການດີຖ້າຫາກວ່າໃນເວລາທີ່ປະຊາຊົນຄິດກ່ຽວກັບ 'ວັດທະນະທໍາ pop,' ພວກເຂົາຄິດກ່ຽວກັບຂ້ອຍ," ມັນເປັນການຍາກທີ່ຈະບໍ່ຫົວໃນການຮູ້ຂໍ້ຕົກລົງ.
ໃນມື້ທີ່ພວກເຮົາໂທຫາ, ໂສດລ່າສຸດຂອງ Doechii, "ມັນແມ່ນຫຍັງ (Block Boy)," ຮອດຈຸດສູງສຸດໃໝ່ໃນຕາຕະລາງ, inching ເຄີຍເຂົ້າໃກ້ດ້ານເທິງຂອງ Billboard 50. ມັນເປັນເພງທໍາອິດຂອງນາງທີ່ຈະເຮັດແນວນັ້ນ. ເພງ, ກ "ຄິດຮອດ" R&B anthem that foregrounds her buttery soft vocals, ເປັນການປຽບທຽບຈາກບົດເພງທີ່ຍາກລຳບາກທີ່ນາງສະແດງໃນອາຊີບເຮັດແຣັບຄືກັບປີກາຍນີ້. "ບ້າ" ແຕ່ຈິດຕະນາການ, ຜູ້ທີ່ນັບ Lauryn Hill ແລະ Erykah Badu ເປັນແຮງບັນດານໃຈທີ່ສໍາຄັນ, ໄດ້ສະເຫມີບາງສິ່ງບາງຢ່າງຂອງ chameleon ດົນຕີ. Tampa, ຄວາມຄ່ອງແຄ້ວຂອງຊາວ Florida ເປັນສ່ວນໜຶ່ງຂອງການອຸທອນຂອງນາງ. ມັນເປັນສິ່ງທີ່ເຮັດໃຫ້ນາງສັງເກດເຫັນໂດຍ Top Dawg Entertainment, ຜູ້ທີ່ໃນປີກາຍນີ້ລົງນາມຂອງນາງເປັນ rapper ແມ່ຍິງຄັ້ງທໍາອິດໃນບັນຊີລາຍຊື່ຂອງເຂົາເຈົ້າ.
Doechii ບໍ່ໄດ້ເລີ່ມຕົ້ນດ້ວຍຄວາມປາຖະຫນາປ້າຍຊື່ທີ່ສໍາຄັນ. ນັກສິລະປິນໄດ້ເລີ່ມຕົ້ນສ້າງດົນຕີຂອງຕົນເອງເມື່ອນາງຍັງຮຽນຢູ່ໂຮງຮຽນສິລະປະສິລະປະ, ໂຄງການລະດົມທຶນດ້ວຍຕົນເອງດ້ວຍເງິນທີ່ນາງເຮັດຈາກຊ່ອງທາງ YouTube ທີ່ມີຊື່ສຽງຂອງນາງແລະ "ຕື່ນນອນຢູ່, ຢູ່ເປັນສີດໍາ" ທຸລະກິດ hoodie. ແຕ່ຫຼັງຈາກຄວາມສໍາເລັດຂອງ homegrown ຂອງນາງ 2020 ໂອ້ຍ ສະຖານທີ່ເຈົ້າຈະໄປ EP (ແລະ TikTok viral ດຽວຂອງມັນ "Yucky Blucky Fruitcake"), Doechii ຮູ້ວ່າການລົງນາມແມ່ນຂັ້ນຕອນຕໍ່ໄປທໍາມະຊາດ. "ຂ້ອຍບໍ່ພຽງແຕ່ຢາກເປັນນັກສິລະປິນເອກະລາດເທົ່ານັ້ນ, " ນາງຍອມຮັບ. "ຂ້ອຍຕ້ອງການເປັນ superstar ທົ່ວໂລກ." ເຖິງວ່າຈະມີຄວາມສົນໃຈຈາກຫຼາຍປ້າຍຊື່, Doechii landed with TDE because of its legacy and the creative freedom she felt they provided. "Plus, it's Black owned," she adds. "And that was very important to me."
Shoes by Alexander McQueen
Being on a label made famous for breaking stars like Kendrick Lamar and SZA has, naturally, come with a fair amount of "good pressure." But as a former gymnast, Doechii thrives through regimented discipline. Since signing, she's only expanded her following, gaining new fans with the cheekily titled, five-song EP she / her / black bitch. (The title originated as a joke it's a reference to both Kendrick Lamar's "The Little Homies" production company and Diahann Carroll's infamous line about being "the first Black bitch on television.") She's also become a must see live act. After annihilating the Coachella stage this past April (and the BET Awards last summer), she's now gearing up to open for Doja Cat's highly anticipated Scarlet Tour this fall.
And that's not to mention her work on screen. Earlier this year, Doechii appeared in Earth Mama, Savanah Leaf's critically acclaimed A24 debut about a pregnant mother's struggles with the legal system. Playing the protagonist's super religious (and at times judgmental) best friend, Doechii exhibited a natural radiance on screen though that came as no surprise for anyone who has seen her inventive music videos. "The same way I tap into real emotions on stage is the same way that I tap into them on camera," the artist says of her first acting experience. "I'm just very in tune with my emotions, and I like to implement them whenever I'm performing."
It's incredible what she's achieved while staying completely true to herself. As a self admitted textbook Leo, Doechii cops to being "very ambitious and loyal and braggadocious, but also down to earth." One can sense her Leo like confidence in the way she has publicly navigated her queer identity. Even while still living in "redneck, racist, homophobic" Tampa, she recalls telling herself, "Okay, girl, you like girls. Who gives a fuck?" (The only other queer person she knew from her hometown, Matthew, still does her hair to this day.) And now, as Doechii pushes ever closer into the mainstream, she has maintained that attitude, proudly discussing her bisexuality through her music in her lyrics, beats, and visuals, as she does with the ballroom influenced "Persuasive." "It's just not a big deal. I just love who I love and that's it."
ນາງໄດ້ຄິດອອກຫຼາຍຢູ່ໃນອາຍຸສູງສຸດຂອງ 24 (ນາງເກືອບ 25, ເຖິງແມ່ນວ່ານາງມັກຕະຫລົກວ່ານາງກໍາລັງຈະຫັນ 21), ແຕ່ຍັງມີສິ່ງອື່ນໆທີ່ Doechii ປາດຖະຫນາທີ່ຈະເຮັດສໍາເລັດໃນຂະນະທີ່ການເຮັດວຽກຂອງນາງຍັງສືບຕໍ່. "ຂ້ອຍເປີດໃຈເຮັດເກືອບທຸກຢ່າງໃນທຸລະກິດບັນເທີງ," ນາງເວົ້າຢ່າງແນ່ນອນ. "ມື້ຫນຶ່ງ, ຂ້ອຍຕ້ອງການຊີ້ທາງ. ບາງທີຂ້ອຍຈະຢູ່ໃນຄົນອັບເດດ:. ຂ້າພະເຈົ້າບໍ່ໄດ້ໃກ້ຊິດກັບຫຍັງ." ເມື່ອກົດດັນກ່ຽວກັບແຜນການຫ້າປີ, ນາງກ່າວເຖິງຢາກ "hammer ອອກອັນລະບັ້ມທຸກໆປີສໍາລັບສາມປີຂ້າງຫນ້າ." ແລະຫຼັງຈາກນັ້ນ? "ໃຊ້ເວລາໄປ 1 ປີແລ້ວກັບມາມີອາລະບໍາທີ່ໂຫດຫ້ຽມເພື່ອຢອກຄົນແລະໃຫ້ມັນເປັນອາລະບໍາທີ່ກຽດຊັງທີ່ສຸດຕະຫຼອດການ."
ຂ້ອຍສົມມຸດວ່ານາງເວົ້າຕະຫຼົກ, ແຕ່ກັບ Doechii, ຄົນເຮົາຄວນຄາດຫວັງສິ່ງທີ່ບໍ່ຄາດຄິດສະເໝີ. ນາງບອກຂ້ອຍຫຼາຍເທົ່າທີ່ກຳລັງຈະຢອກອາລະບໍາເປີດຕົວປ້າຍຊື່ໃຫຍ່ທີ່ກຳລັງຈະມາຮອດ, ຊຶ່ງນາງຢືນຢັນວ່າຍັງຢູ່ໃນເສັ້ນທາງສໍາລັບການ 2023 ປ່ອຍ. ("ແນ່ນອນກ່ອນທີ່ຂ້ອຍຈະໄປທ່ຽວກັບ Doja," ນາງສັນຍາ.) "ເຈົ້າຈະເຕັ້ນລໍາ. ມັນຈະມ່ວນແທ້ໆ," ນາງປ່ອຍໃຫ້ໄປ. ນາງຮັກສາການຄາດເດົາທີ່ເຄັ່ງຄັດກ່ຽວກັບສ່ວນທີ່ເຫຼືອ, ພຽງແຕ່ຢືນຢັນວ່າໂຄງການໃຫມ່ຈະມີແນວຄວາມຄິດຫຼາຍກ່ວາສິ່ງອື່ນໆໃນ discography ຂອງນາງ. ມັນຈະເປັນຈຸດສຳຄັນອີກອັນໜຶ່ງສຳລັບ Doechii, ເຖິງແມ່ນວ່າສິ່ງຫນຶ່ງຍັງຄົງຢູ່ຄືກັນ. "ຂ້າພະເຈົ້າບໍ່ຕ້ອງການທີ່ຈະໃຫ້ຫຍັງໄປ," ລາວເວົ້າ. "ແຕ່ຂ້ອຍສ້າງມັນດ້ວຍຄວາມຕັ້ງໃຈທີ່ຊັດເຈນຫຼາຍ."
