Paint the Town Red (Doja Cat song)

"Paint the Town Red"
Cover art for "Paint the Town Red": a painting of a red sky, with a silhouette of a skyline in the bottom right corner
Single by Doja Cat
from the album Scarlet
ReleasedAugust 4, 2023 (2023-08-04)
GenreHip-hop[1]
Length
  • 3:51 (album version)
  • 3:27 (radio edit)
Label
Composer(s)
Lyricist(s)Amala Zandile Dlamini
Producer(s)
  • Earl on the Beat
  • Rubin
  • Jean-Baptiste
  • DJ Replay
Doja Cat singles chronology
"Kill Bill" (remix) "Paint the Town Red"
(2023) 		"Agora Hills"
(2024)
Music video
"Paint the Town Red" on YouTube

"Paint the Town Red" is a song track by American rapper and singer Doja Cat from her fourth studio album, Scarlet (2023). It was released on August 4, 2023, through Kemosabe and RCA Records as the lead single from the album. The song was written by Doja Cat and produced by Earl on the Beat, Rubin, Jean-Baptiste, and DJ Replay. The track samples Dionne Warwick's 1964 song "Walk On By". In the lyrics, the rapper dismisses her critics and asserts her own identity following arguments with fans on social media.

"Paint the Town Red" was a massive commercial success, topping the charts in 19 countries, including Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In the United Kingdom, it became the first solo song by a female rapper to top the UK Singles Chart, and in the United States, it became Doja Cat's second single, and first as a solo artist, to top the Billboard Hot 100. It reached the top ten as well in over 15 countries, including France, Belgium (Flandres), Finland, Germany, Sweden and Denmark. "Paint the Town Red" made history by becoming the first solo female rap song in Spotify history to top the platform's Global and US Top 50 chart[2] and the fastest solo female rap song to amass 100 million streams.[3]

The song received a nomination at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards for Best Pop Solo Performance. It was voted in at number one on the Triple J Hottest 100, 2023.[4]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference slate was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Galindo, Thomas (August 21, 2023). "Doja Cat's 'Paint The Town Red' Makes Spotify History". American Songwriter. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
  3. ^ Stewart, Ky (August 31, 2023). "Doja Cat New Song Paint The Town Red Proves She Doesn't Need Fans". Junkee. Retrieved August 31, 2023.
  4. ^ "Hottest 100 2023". Triple J. Retrieved January 27, 2024.