Candy (Doja Cat song)

"Candy"
Single by Doja Cat
from the album Amala
Released	March 23, 2018
Studio	The Himalayas (Los Angeles, California)
Genre	Hip hop [1] R&B [2] trap [1]
Length	3:10
Label	Kemosabe RCA
Songwriter(s)	Amala Zandile Dlamini David Sprecher Joshua Karp Cameron Bartolini
Producer(s)	Budo Yeti Beats Cambo (add.)
Doja Cat singles chronology
"Go to Town" (2018) "Candy" (2018) "Mooo!" (2018)

"Candy" is a song by American rapper and singer Doja Cat for her debut album, Amala (2018). Originally put out in 2016 on SoundCloud, getting an early release alongside other Amala songs Casual, Roll With Us, and All Nighter, but was officially released on March 23, 2018, as the second single from the album, through Kemosabe and RCA. ^[3] The song was written by Doja Cat alongside producers Budo & Yeti Beats and additional producer Cambo. ^[4] "Candy" peaked at number 86 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Background and composition

"Candy" was written by Amala Dlamini and Cameron Bartolini. Bartolini also co-produced the single with Budo and Yeti Beats and worked with the instruments. The song was mixed by Neal Pogue. ^[5] "Candy" was released on March 23, 2018, as the second single from Doja Cat's debut studio album Amala (2018). ^{[6] [7]} Following its release, she posted a preview on her Instagram account. ^{[8] [9]} The audio video for the song premiered simultaneously as the single. ^[10] According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Sony/ATV Music Publishing, the song is performed in the key of G Minor with an up-tempo 120 beats per minute. ^[11]

Critical reception

"Candy" received generally positive reviews from music critics. Mike Wass of Idolator praised it as a "trap-heavy hip-hop jam", ^[1] and AllMusic's Matt Collar selected it as one of the album's highlights. ^[12] Milca P. of HotNewHipHop praised the song's musical direction and said it "leans more toward the typically R&B-heavy catalog of the RCA signee". ^[2] Rap-Up added to their blog "Rising rapper-singer Doja Cat continues to ‘push the envelope’ on her latest, risqué and sensually-driven single, Candy." ^[13]

Andrew P. Hale for PopMatters described the song as "smooth but adult-oriented" and pointed it out for its sexual themes, writing that "A very smooth and intimate beat with a degree of excitement by Budo, Cambo, and Yeti Beats, Doja Cat rides it with confidence and talent. Better for husbands and wives, can't promote the content for the youth." ^[14]

Credits and personnel

Recording and management

• Engineered at The Himalayas (Los Angeles, California)
• Mastered at Bernie Grundman Mastering (Hollywood, California)
• Mau Publishing, Inc./Prescription Songs (BMI), Yeti Yeti Yeti Music/WB Music Corp. (ASCAP), GutterFunk/WB Music Corp. (ASCAP), Cameron Bartolini Music (ASCAP)

Personnel

• Doja Cat  – vocals, songwriting
• David Sprecher  – songwriting; production, engineering as Yeti
• Joshua Karp  – songwriting; production as Budo
• Cameron Bartolini – songwriting; additional production, engineering as Cambo
• Neal H Pogue  – mixing
• Mike Bozzi  – mastering

Credits adapted from Hot Pink (Japan Version) liner notes. ^[4]

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2019–2020) Peak position Australia (ARIA) [15] 92 Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders) [16] 28 Canada (Canadian Hot 100) [17] 55 Greece (IFPI) [18] 40 Ireland (IRMA) [19] 81 Lithuania (AGATA) [20] 34 Romania (Airplay 100) [21] 71 US Billboard Hot 100 [22] 86 US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs ( Billboard ) [23] 36

Year-end charts Chart (2020) Position Canada (Canadian Hot 100) [24] 92 US Hot R&B Songs (Billboard) [25] 41

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) [26]	Platinum	70,000‡
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil) [27]	Diamond	160,000‡
France (SNEP) [28]	Gold	100,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ) [29]	Platinum	30,000‡
Poland (ZPAV) [30]	Platinum	50,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI) [31]	Gold	400,000‡
United States (RIAA) [32]	Platinum	1,000,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Country	Date	Format	Label	Ref.
United States	March 23, 2018	Digital download	Kemosabe Records RCA Records
	April 12, 2018	Urban contemporary radio		[33]

References

1. Wass, Mike (September 25, 2014). "Album Review: Doja Cat's Amala Is A Purrfect Debut". Idolator. Archived from the original on May 30, 2018.
2. P., Milca (March 25, 2018). "Doja Cat Returns With "Candy"". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
3. "Amala by Doja Cat on Apple Music". Apple Music . March 30, 2018. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
4. Hot Pink (Japan Version) (Media notes). Kemosabe Records.
5. "Doja Cat – Candy". Genius .
6. "Candy – Single by Doja Cat". iTunes . Apple.com. March 23, 2018. Retrieved April 20, 2019.
7. "Candy [Explicit] by Doja Cat". Amazon Music . Retrieved April 20, 2019.
8. "Doja Cat on Instagram: "Your favorite is out on Spotify and more! Stream it right now!"". Instagram. March 23, 2018. Archived from the original on December 25, 2021.
9. DJ JusMusic (March 23, 2018). "Doja Cat Releases New Single 'Candy' (Preview)". Singersroom.^{[ dead link ]}
10. "Doja Cat – Candy (Audio)". YouTube. March 23, 2018. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
11. "Doja Cat "Candy" Sheet Music in G Minor (transposable)". Musicnotes.com. 2018. Retrieved December 2, 2018.
12. Collar, Matt. "AllMusic Review by Matt Collar". AllMusic. Archived from the original on May 27, 2018.
13. "NEW MUSIC: DOJA CAT – 'CANDY'". Rap-Up.com. March 29, 2018. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
14. Hale, Andrew P. (April 2, 2018). "Review: Amala". PopMatters . Retrieved February 18, 2019.^{[ dead link ]}
15. "ARIA Chart Watch #553". auspOp. November 30, 2019. Archived from the original on December 4, 2019. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
16. "Doja Cat – Candy" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
17. "Doja Cat Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
18. "Charts". December 5, 2019. Archived from the original on December 5, 2019. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
19. "Irish-charts.com – Discography Doja Cat". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
20. "Savaitės klausomiausi (TOP 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. November 22, 2019. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
21. Arvunescu, Victor (February 3, 2020). "Top Airplay 100 – Februarie începe cu un nou lider!trans-title=Top Airplay 100 – February begins with a new leader!" (in Romanian). Un site de muzică. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
22. "Doja Cat Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
23. "Doja Cat Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
24. "Canadian Hot 100 – Year-End 2020". Billboard. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
25. "Hot R&B Singles: Year-End 2020". Billboard. Billboard.com. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
26. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2023 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association . Retrieved November 30, 2023.
27. "Brazilian single certifications – Doja Cat – Candy" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil . Retrieved April 9, 2024.
28. "French single certifications – Doja Cat – Candy" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique . Retrieved April 22, 2025.
29. "New Zealand single certifications – Doja Cat – Candy". Radioscope. Retrieved December 16, 2024.Type Candy in the "Search:" field.
30. "OLiS - oficjalna lista wyróżnień" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry . Retrieved December 18, 2024. Click "TYTUŁ" and enter Candy in the search box.
31. "British single certifications – Doja Cat – Candy". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved August 1, 2025.
32. "American single certifications – Doja Cat – Candy". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved July 1, 2022.
33. Request Doja Cat’s “Candy” | The Official RCA Records Site