There are tons of distressing news these days as we face a global health crisis, so it’s super refreshing to see this wholesomely awesome story between an Indonesian musician and her favorite artist, which has also resulted in the former gaining international recognition.
On Sunday, American rapper and songwriter Doja Cat went on an Instagram live session, a feature she has frequently used to interact with her fans, even before all of us are told to stay home amid the COVID-19 pandemic. During the session, a fan suggested that she listen to a Japanese cover of Doja Cat’s hit Say So, which gained massive popularity since late 2019 due to a dance challenge trend on TikTok that features the single.
The suggested cover was performed by Indonesian singer Rainych, whose Youtube channel specializes in song covers in Japanese. Rainych, who dons a hijab, posted the Say So cover in late March.
DOJA READ MY COMMENT AND LISTENED TO THE JPN VERS OF SAY SO SHES SO CUTE pic.twitter.com/5r8Zw20YbY
— EROS IS SEEING DOJA (@txtdoja) April 5, 2020
Doja Cat’s jaw dropped as soon as she heard Rainych’s voice, which sounded genuinely J-pop. The 24-year-old rapper went on to bust some moves from the Say So TikTok dance, staring in awe and screaming, visibly adoring Rainych’s awesome cover.
“Yo, she ate that shit, what the fuck. Fuck that. This shit is hers. That shit is, stupid, fucking good. She has a fucking great voice, and that mix is beautiful. Wow,” Doja lauded Rainych in an expletive-filled frenzy of a praise.
“Yeah, she’s fire. She knows exactly what the fuck she’s doing.”
Rainych tweeted several times about the fact that Doja Cat herself reacted to her cover, in which she shared that she’s been “shaking and crying.”
https://twitter.com/RainychRan/status/1246729134279028742
She also thanked the fan who suggested Doja listen to her cover in the first place.
https://twitter.com/RainychRan/status/1246747741964791808
Doja Cat, real name Amalaratna Zandile Dlamini, was born to a South African actor and Jewish American mother. She chose her stage name from one of her cats, as well as her affinity for weed culture. Despite having released her EP Purrr! in 2014 and debut studio album Amala in early 2018, Doja Cat shot to fame in August 2018 after releasing a novelty song titled Mooo! on Youtube — in which she dressed as a sexy cow (yep) and sang absurdist lyrics about being one.
Today, Doja Cat is considered one of the biggest rising rap stars. She released her second full-length album Hot Pink in November of last year — which features Say So — as well as a single titled Boss Bitch from the Birds of Prey soundtrack.
Rainych, whose age and origin aren’t publicly known, started uploading her covers on Youtube in 2015. She mostly sings anime soundtracks, although she also recently covered another popular song on TikTok. Rainych mixes her covers herself, but the Japanese lyrics in her Say So cover was translated by fellow Youtuber named Datenkou. At time of publication, her cover has gained over 2.7 million views.
We know that both the OG and the cover are infectious (and addictive), so why not listen, and maybe dance, to Say So again:
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