Meet Doja Cat, the Woman Responsible for the Internet's New Obsession With Cows

“B*itch I’m a cow, B*itch I’m a cow/I’m not a cat/I don’t say meow”  — admit it, you’ve been singing this nonstop for the past few days. These lyrics are from the Doja Cat‘s viral parody song “Mooo!” which she reveals was made on a whim. The song’s theme was inspired by her cow-print coordinate outfit which was heavily featured in her entertaining home-made video. Between the song and the meme-worthy visual, it was only a matter of time before the song took off becoming an Internet sensation.

The 22-year-old South African singer is not a newcomer to the music industry despite her recent breakout popularity. Her first EP “Purr” released in 2013, featuring the buzzy single “So High.” She went on to record her first studio album Amala which was debuted earlier this year. Ahead of her September tour, she felt the need to take a break from “serious” music resulting in the social media phenomenon that is “Mooo!”

We got a chance to catch up with Doja Cat to find out more about how the catchy track came to be.

What inspired you to write the song, “Mooo!”? Is it meant to be a parody or was it just for fun?
It’s totally for fun. The song was inspired by the cow-print costume set I wore in the video. I was trying on different things for my upcoming tour and got on Instagram Live with the top on while making the song. I’ve been making music for five years and most of it has been about love and it was becoming mushy for me so I needed a break. That resulted in a song about cows.

How did you come up with the concept for the video?
It’s really all pulled from the outfit. I love green so much that I used these sheets from when I was a kid to make a screen and hung it up with some tacks. I used the green-screen function on PhotoBooth to make the animations pop up on the back and I dragged all the things I wanted on there. I also edited the video myself — it took like half a day.

What are your thoughts on the song going viral and becoming a meme? Was that your intention?
I make funny songs all the time. The last goofy one I released was “Nintendhoe” and I thought people would take to that more. I’m really surprised to see how people have taken to this song about cows.

Visit HYPEBAE to read more of our exclusive interview with Doja Cat.