Doja Cat: what did the rapper say about Dr Luke in new interview - producer’s controversy with Kesha explained

Doja Cat, whose real name is Amala Ratna Zandile Dlamini, has hinted in a new interview that she will not be working with American music producer and songwriter Dr Luke in the future.

Dr Luke has produced several of Doja’s biggest hits, including Say So, Kiss Me More and Need to Know.

This is everything you need to know.

Who is Dr Luke?

Dr Luke, whose real name is Lukasz Sebastian Gottwald, is an American music producer, songwriter and singer.

He has co-written and commercially produced a number of highly successful songs, including Who Knew for Pink, Girlfriend for Avril Lavigne, I Kissed a Girl for Katy Perry, and My Life Would Suck Without You for Kelly Clarkson, for example.

Across his career, Dr Luke has also worked with musicians including Britney Spears, Nicki Minaj, Rihanna, Miley Cyrus, Pitbull and Jessie J.

He is the founder of Kemosabe Records, which has signed artists like Kesha, Doja Cat, G. R. L and LunchMoney Lewis.

Across his career, Dr Luke has been nominated for a number of awards, including Grammys for Album of the Year in 2011, Song of the Year in 2014, Record of the Year in 2021 and has won the Songwriter of the Year award in the ASCAP Pop Music Awards in 2010 and 2011.

Dr Luke is considered to be a highly controversial producer, as it has been alleged by Tik Tok singer Kesha that he sexually and mentally abused her throughout their time working together.

What did Doja Cat say about Dr Luke?

In a profile feature in Rolling Stone, when asked if she was on the same page as fellow rapper Saweetie, who said that she would not be working with Dr Luke again in the future, Doja said: “That’s not a question I feel really comfortable answering.”

She added: “I haven’t worked with him in a very long time.

“There’s s**t that he’s credited for, where I’m like, “Hmm, I don’t know, I don’t know if you did anything on that”.”

Doja continued: “The point is he’s gotten some credit for s**t. And, you know, it’s whatever.

“I don’t think I need to work with him again. I don’t think I need to work with him in the future. I know that.”

While the rapper questioned some of Dr Luke’s credits, Doja later clarified in a statement that she didn’t want to cast doubt on the legitimacy of his songwriting credits.

She said: “When asked about Luke I may have said something that someone could interpret as me saying that he had taken credit on things he didn’t deserve to.

“I just want to be clear that I have no first hand knowledge of that being the case and I don’t want to participate in the rumour mill. The credits on my music are accurate, and I don’t want to imply anything else.”

Has Dr Luke responded to Doja Cat?

A representative for Dr Luke told Rolling Stone: “Luke is very proud of [Doja Cat] and the work they have done together.

“[Dr Luke has] written a uniquely large amount of hits and career-defining songs, and continues to do so.

“As it is his daily work, his practice, as is the industry’s, is to receive publishing when he creates songs.”

What are the allegations against Dr Luke?

In October of 2014, Kesha, whose full name is Kesha Rose Sebert, filed a civil lawsuit against Dr Luke for sexual assault and battery, as well as a number of other claims.

Kesha alleged that Dr Luke had raped her whilst she was unconscious after giving her pills. She also alleged that the producer subjected her to long term emotional abuse, which the complaint claimed caused “severe depression, post-traumatic stress, social isolation, and panic attacks”.

In the 2014 lawsuit, she requested that a judge free her from her recording contract that ties her to Dr Luke’s Kemosabe Record label.

Dr Luke’s lawyer called Kesha’s lawsuit “spectacular and outrageous fiction”, with the music producer countersuing Kesha for defamation.

Over the course of the legal battle, a number of high profile musicians have voiced their support for Kesha, including Lady Gaga, Ariana Grande, Lorde, Haim, and Lily Allen.

Taylor Swift donated $250,000 to help with Kesha’s financial needs, and while accepting an award at the Brit Awards, Adele said: “I’d like to take this moment to publicly support Kesha.”

In 2016, Kesha dropped her lawsuit against Dr Luke, however the producer’s countersuit against the musician is still active.

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