Need to Know (Doja Cat song)

In April 2021, the song was confirmed after being briefly mentioned during a cover story interview with Billboard.[1] On June 9, 2021, Doja Cat officially announced the release of "Need to Know" with a futuristic teaser for the song's music video on her social media accounts, with the faint melody of the song briefly heard in the short clip.[2][3] Shortly after the teaser was published, Doja Cat noted in a tweet that the song "isn't even the next single" and that it was "just some shit before the next more important single comes out for you to enjoy."[4][5] The song was officially released on all streaming platforms on June 11, 2021,[6][2] with its corresponding music video being released sixteen hours later.[7][8] Shortly before the song's release, Doja Cat had officially announced the release of the parent album Planet Her and revealed its track listing and album art.[9][10] In July 2021, she performed the song in a pre-recorded video for Vevo.[11] "Need to Know" impacted rhythmic contemporary radio in the United States, as the album's third single on August 31, 2021.[12]

"Need to Know" is a trap-pop[13] song with elements of melodic rap,[14] bass-heavy R&B,[15] and disco.[16] Written by Doja Cat and its producer Dr. Luke,[17] the song was described as a "grinding sex jam"[18] driven by a "crisp"[19] rhythm of "vital trap snares",[20] "tacky" reversed hi-hats,[21] and "sharp" drums,[19] over "a hard-knocking bass"[22] and atmospheric, "neon-lit", futuristic synthesizers.[19][23][24] She claims to have been inebriated while writing the song in studio.[25] Doja Cat delivers her "usual blend of ethereal vocals and melodically harsh raps" as well as "shrill" background vocals.[26] Lyrically, she explores her pursuit of a new love interest or sexual partner whilst trying to determine if they have mutual agreement and understanding.[27] A celebration of sexuality, the lyrics find Doja Cat fantasizing about her sexual desires.[28][18]

The song was considered distinguishable by its "raunchy" lyrics in which she describes her "bedroom antics".[27] Some critics described it as "seductive" and "fiery", noting that Doja Cat "turns up the heat" and "takes it to the bedroom".[29][30] Paris Close of iHeartRadio noted that she delivers "a salvo of erotic verses nonstop, only stopping to catch her breath in soft, sensual whispers and climactic coos."[31] Jon Blistein of Rolling Stone noted that Doja Cat's rap verses "lean into delightfully lurid punchlines".[19] Imogen Lawlor wrote that her "dense triplet flow is layered over futuristic disco production, segueing seamlessly into a disjunct, electronic UFO melody emphasising the space theme of the release."[16]

Vulture crowned "Need to Know" as the best song of 2021 and deemed it "really the best showcase of all the talents [Doja Cat]'s possessed for years", praising her "vocal contortionism" and "overflowing charisma".[13] In an album review for Uproxx, Bianca Gracie crowned "Need to Know" as the best song on Planet Her and described it as "an otherworldly joyride driven by the mad scientist that is Doja Cat. She's in true alien form here: a raunchy freak, cooing baby, helium sucker, and frantic spitter over a galaxy of ice-cold trap melodies."[32] Meaghan Garvey of Billboard noted that the record celebrates Doja Cat's femininity and revels in her sense of humor.[33] Writing for the same magazine, Jason Lipshutz noted that "Need to Know" is "rife with thinly veiled innuendos and sexual demands" and that it "features one of Doja Cat's most liberated vocal performances -- singing, rapping, pleading, crooning, remaining singular in her delivery and utterly fearless on the microphone."[34] In Billboard's review of the album, Kyle Denis deemed the song "a prime example of how Doja doesn't solely rely on the shock value of her lyrics to make her songs click; the theatricality of her delivery and vocal performances are what truly carry this song and the rest of Planet Her."[35]

Grimes (left) and Ryan Destiny (right) both make cameo appearances in the music video.

The music video was filmed in May 2021, directed by duo Miles Cable & AJ Favicchio with support from their production company SixTwentySix Productions, the music video takes place in the futuristic city environment of the fictional "Planet Her" and follows a blue-tinted alien Doja Cat alongside a group of female alien friends played by actresses Jazelle Straka-Braxton and Josephine Pearl Leewhich with cameo appearances from Canadian musician Grimes and American actress Ryan Destiny.[37][38][39][40][41]

The video opens with the camera flying through a 3D-animated, futuristic cityscape before settling on a scenic shot of Doja Cat playing video games in her underwear while drinking and lounging around with her group of friends.[40][38] The scene changes to the group inside a flying "self-driving convertible pod" Uber.[41][42][43][40] They arrive at a private, underground club hosting a variety of cyborgs and aliens where the group dances and take shots of smoky vapor-like alcohol.[42][40][41] She begins to flirt with a man whom she shares a dance with before giving him a lap dance in a private room.[44][31] Towards the end of the video they return to the dancefloor before parting ways outside the club. Doja Cat whispers something into the man's ear which makes his eyes light up, before the video suddenly ends, thus suggesting an open ending.[45] Writers at Billboard begged the question "Is he an alien? Or is he human?",[41] to which Doja Cat indirectly responded on Twitter that he was a cyborg pretending to be human.[46]

Miles & AJ revealed that Doja Cat and her team came up with the concept for the video and maintained creative control.[37][44] Referring to Grimes, The A.V. Club noted that "given the futuristic nature of the music video, it only makes sense to bring in an artist who seems like they're from another planet."[40] Grimes revealed that she agreed to take part in the video without even asking what it was beforehand,[47] writing that the shoot was "insanely fun".[5] Doja Cat and her directors used Blade Runner (1982) and The Fifth Element (1997) as reference points while creating the music video.[44] The set for the music video was built by production designer Jonathan Chu, as opposed to the conventional usage of a green screen.[44] Doja Cat's creative team hired Melissa Stearn to do prosthetics for the video,[44] while the animators used Unreal Engine to render the introductory cityscape sequence.[37] Ana Diaz of Polygon compared Doja Cat's alien persona to Aayla Secura from the Star Wars franchise.[37]