The secret behind Doja Cat's signature style? Baby, we need to know.
After all, there's no doubt that the 26-year-old will be serving some up serious looks at this year's BET Awards in Los Angeles June 26—especially seeing as how she's up for an impressive six trophies, including Album of the Year and Best Female Hip Hop Artist.
In fact, believe it or not, Doja's notable fashion taste was the force behind her 2018 viral hit, "Mooo!," which unexpectedly thrust her (and cows for a while) into the spotlight—and kickstarted her career.
"OK, so I love cosplay—not really cosplay in the nerdy way, I just like to dress up," she told HighSnobiety that year of her inspiration. "That's a huge part of what inspires me to make music, pretty much. I usually get on Instagram Live, and I had bought a ton of costumes. The one costume that I wore that day was the cow one. It was such an obnoxious shirt; the sleeves were so ridiculous. I loved it and I just didn't know what to write about in that moment."
She recalled, "I was just like, ‘Alright, f--k it. I'm just going to make a song about cows. Why not? That might be interesting.' I wanted it to sound good, I wasn't trying to go into it in a joking way.... It's not just a piece of comedy, really. That's how that came about, just from that outfit."
Since then, Doja has gone on to conquer bigger and better pastures—which also led her to up her fashion game. For more of her legend-dairy looks over the years, keep scrolling…
The then 18-year-old rapper attended the Friends 'N' Family 17th Annual Pre-Grammy Party in Los Angeles, California.
Doja wore an all pink ensemble (which included cat ears!) for the BET Awards in 2019.
The Hot Pink rapper posed backstage in a matching grey two-piece set during the RapCaviar Live Concert in October 2019.
For TIDAL's 5th Annual Benefit Concert in New York City, Doja rocked an edgy ensemble, which included an ivory bustier and leather pants.
Red hot! Doja attended the 2020 Adult Video News Awards in Las Vegas wearing a red-lace dress complete with matching gloves.
Doja stunned in a sheer-suede bustier ensemble when she attended the 2020 American Music Awards.
For the MTV EMAs in November 2020, Doja opted to wear a matching black crop top and shorts set complete with a patterned black sheer dress.
Quick change! Doja stunned in her second suede outfit for the evening during the 2020 American Music Awards.
Doja stole the spotlight in a sheer ensemble for the 2020 Billboard Music Awards.
Fit for the occasion! For Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve With Ryan Seacrest 2021, the "Rules" artist wore a silver wig to match her silver sheer-sequined outfit.
Doja stunned in a gorgeous floral gown for a Dolce & Gabbana event during the 2021 Venice Film Festival.
Green goddess! Doja graced the 2021 iHeartRadio Music Awards in a sheer floor-length complete with a matching cape.
For the 2021 MTV Video Music Awards in New York City, the Grammy nominee wore a black corset bodysuit with purple drapery and red latex thigh-high boots.
For Michael Rubin's 2022 Fanatics Super Bowl Party, Doja rocked black matching undergarments, paired with a white sheer fishnet dress.
The "Need to Know" artist stunned in a black gown (which included a jaw-dropping sweetheart neckline) for the Billboard Women in Music Awards.
For the 2022 Grammys, Doja strutted the red carpet in a studded light blue Versace gown.
And after walking the red carpet, she changed into a tan slit gown with a similar studded texture to accept her award for Best Pop Duo or Group performance with SZA. The acceptance was slightly delayed by a bathroom break. The "Get Into It (Yuh)" singer ran to the stage out of breath, telling the audience, "I have never taken such a fat piss in my whole life."
"I really appreciate it," Doja said of the win. "Thank you to everybody, my family, my team, I wouldn't be here without you and I wouldn't be here without my fans."
October 2022
Get into it: The musician literally shined during Paris Fashion Week in October 2022.
January 2023
The Los Angeles native painted the town (and her body) red while out in Paris.
May 2023
Doja had a pretty purr-fect look at the 2023 Met Gala, transforming into Karl Lagerfeld's cat Choupette for her ensemble.
September 2023
The Grammy winner taps into her edgy side to show off her first-ever sneaker collection with Skechers. “To design something inspired by the iconic sneaker my peers wore back in the day, Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera," she said in a statement. "I feel like I am a part of history.”
The 2022 BET Awards will air live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday, June 26 at 8 p.m. ET on BET.
A version of this story was first published on Saturday, April 2, 2022 at 8 p.m. PT.