Doechii Credits SZA’s 'Ctrl' for Inspiring Her Breakup and Career Shift

Doechii landed the cover of Cosmopolitan’s “Romance Issue” in April 2025, where he opened about her journey from struggling artist to hip-hop powerhouse. In the candid April 21 interview, the 26-year-old Tampa native revealed how SZA’s 2017 album Ctrl gave her the strength to leave an unsupportive boyfriend at 18. “I was dating a guy who just wasn’t very supportive of my music… I recall the first time I heard SZA’s Ctrl, and it honestly gave me the strength to break up with him.”

The self-proclaimed “Swamp Princess” made history in February when her album Alligator Bites Never Heal won Best Rap Album at the Grammys, making her only the third female rapper—after Lauryn Hill and Cardi B—to claim the category. G Her unplanned acceptance speech went viral after she urged viewers to reject stereotypes. “Something in my spirit told me, You’ll know what to say when you get up there,” she explained.

Doechii’s rise continued when Billboard named her 2025’s Woman of the Year in March, following Cardi B as only the second female rapper to receive this honor. Her hit single Anxiety, which cleverly samples Gotye’s Somebody That I Used to Know, became her first top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 after originally appearing on her 2019 self-released mixtape.

Beyond music, Doechii guest-judged on RuPaul’s Drag Race in January, where contestants performed to her track Alter Ego, significantly boosting her streaming numbers. The artist, who identifies as queer and is currently dating a woman, continues advocating for representation in hip-hop. “My very existence as a queer Black woman significantly contributes to the hip-hop scene,” she told Cosmopolitan.

With recent cosigns from Beyoncé, Lauryn Hill, Billie Eilish, and Lady Gaga, Doechii’s influence in music continues growing—who knows whats next?