“I’m just gonna go into the next song,” laughed Amala Ratna Zandile Diamini as the audience roared around her. The singer better known as Doja Cat sat perched on a chair in the center of the triangular stage. Sitting in front of the full house Doja almost gave the feeling as though she was shy or embarrassed by the attention but almost immediately snapped out of it as she directed the audience. “There’s nothing more to say. Put your lights up.”

As the stage lights dimmed the arena filled with the light of countless camera phones.

“Hey Houston!” she yelled before going into the next song.

Doja Cat brought her Scarlet Tour the Toyota Center Wednesday night showcasing her fourth studio album. The album is Doja’s “return” to the underground, eschewing the pop image that she has developed since becoming a meme sensation with the single “Mooo!” and becoming a musical sensation with the release of Amala, Hot Pink, and Planet Her.The success of these albums earned Doja a Grammy, five Billboard awards five American music awards, four MTV Video Music Awards, an iHeartRadio Music Award, and a lot of attention.

It's attention Doja publicly rails against, attacking her fanbase online, expressing joy at losing a large chunk of online followers, posting herself wearing a shirt featuring a controversial comedian, and releasing a promo video where she trolls herself. In the video Scarlet, Doja’s blood covered alter ego, interviews Doja and gives her the chance to speak about everything from the Illuminati, demons, and shaving her head. A lot can be said about Doja but despite all the performative hoopla, underneath it all is an extremely talented artist.
That was evident Wednesday night as the rapper/singer performed for the wall-to-wall packed stadium. Doja Cat can sing and rap effortlessly on record but she really shows her abilities when performing live.  She maintains control of the stage and the crowd for over an hour. Her show is five acts, mostly focused on the new album, and she shines. Whether standing in fire, being lifted in the air by her crew of dancers, battling a demon, or moving in front of a giant eyeball, Doja Cat raps, sings, and dances with a level of skill that many would want out of a pop star. Scarlet is a more rap heavy album compared to her other offerings and Doja shows that with “Shutcho”, “Balut” and “97."  She still displays her vocal abilities with “Often” and “Agora Hills” and doesn’t leave her pop fans behind with Act three of the show dedicated to her major hits like “Woman”, “Need to Know”, and “Kiss Me More."
By the looks of it Toyota Center was sold out and fans danced and sang the lyrics to song after song as Doja directed the crowd through the acts. Often, she’d let the audience lead the song’s chorus as she moved alongside her backup dancers. The crew pop locked, ticked, crumped, pirouetted, and performed many other types of choreography amongst flames and fireworks.

Doja is talented and it’s easy to forget that fact if you’re just a casual viewer looking at her through the sea of controversy. The Scarlet Tour strips all the extra away and leaves her to only display the music and that’s probably for the best.