By iHeartRadio
October 6, 2026
Photo: Kevin Winter / Getty Images Entertainment / Getty Images
Doja Cat wanted her fifth album to feel sexy, romantic and completely different from Scarlet.
During an iHeartRadio Album Preview ahead of Vie's 2025 release, the superstar opened up about the inspiration behind the project and why she wanted to embrace a more joyful side of herself.
“Vie is very different because it's more trying to connect with a more joyful spirit,” Doja said. “More joyful and wanting to feel sexy and feminine in a different way.”
The album's title has a double meaning. As her fifth studio album, Doja initially landed on the Roman numeral V before connecting it to “vie,” the French word for “life.”
“I felt the album was already really romantic in a way and about love,” she explained.
Doja also drew heavily from the ’80s, citing her love of the era's music, architecture and design. The result marked a sharp turn from Scarlet, which she described as being centered on “fear, pain, anger” and frustration.
As for the one word she'd use to describe Vie?
“Sexy,” Doja said. “I want to feel sexy when I'm listening to that album.”
And apparently, that was exactly the vibe she was going for.