One scroll through TikTok is enough to remind us that Doechii is, in fact, that girl. This year, the self-proclaimed Swamp Princess not only landed on Cosmopolitan’s Best Albums of 2024 list but also earned Kendrick Lamar’s stamp of approval, collaborated with A-listers like Tyler, The Creator and Katy Perry, and received three 2025 Grammy nominations. Oh, and because of the latter, Doechii is being honored in Spotify’s Best New Artist campaign, which typically involves a performance at their annual pre-Grammys bash. TL;DR: The newcomer is an icon in the making, and her streaming numbers reflect it.
Her star has continued to rise after the release of her full-length debut ALLIGATOR BITES NEVER HEAL, which has seen a 175 percent increase in U.S. Spotify streams (and a 148 percent increase in global streams!) since December 5. To say that something shifted after she bodied her respective performances on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert and NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert would be an understatement.
“We have been championing Doechii since the release of her first EP, so it’s been rewarding watching her star rise over the past few weeks. We always knew she was the future. She was featured in our emerging artist program, RADAR, in 2022, and has been featured on hip-hop, R&B, and Pop playlists, including RapCaviar and Today’s Top Hits over the years,” Carl Chery, creative director and head of urban music at Spotify shares in an exclusive statement to Cosmo.
Chery adds, “Visually and tactically, she is the most impressive live performer I’ve seen in years, and her recent appearances on Colbert and Tiny Desk proved exactly the level of genius we’ve seen for years. Doechii is a force of nature—unbound by convention, her creativity knows no limits. ALLIGATOR BITES NEVER HEAL is merely a glimpse of her immense potential, and it’s clear that the best is yet to come. Doechii is boundless.”
The multifaceted emcee performed hits like “NISSAN ALTIMA” and “Black Girl Memoir” during her highly-anticipated NPR set, solidifying her spot in pop culture history as one of the best Tiny Desks of all time and raking in 1.3 million views since it dropped on December 6.
As for her performance of “BOILED PEANUTS” and “DENIAL IS A RIVER” on Colbert, Doechii appeared in an instantly iconic head-to-toe Gucci look and hit every mark with two dancers whose braids were entwined with her own. Since December 5, U.S. streams of “DENIAL IS A RIVER” have increased by more than 170 percent on Spotify (and 146 percent globally, NBD).
“I felt heavily inspired by the lineage of hip-hop and how it contributes to who I am today,” Doechii said of the major moment on Instagram, sharing that she choreographed the performance on her own. “This is my first self-choreographed performance and one of the most important things I wanted to highlight was my connection to black women through hip-hop. With the help of hair artist @malcolm.marquez we were able to make this symbolic art performance come to life in just a short week.”
Doechii’s domination has officially moved beyond her swamp—and she’s not stopping anytime soon.
