Anticipation swells as Doja Cat just teased the arrival of her newest single this Friday (June 16). The artist opted for a cryptic announcement via her social media platforms on Tuesday (June 13) with an ominous blood drop emoji and cover art showcasing an inverted bloody “A.”

https://twitter.com/DojaCat/status/1668650121905704962

Doja’s teaser campaign boasts strong ties to Nathaniel Hawthorne’s famed novel, “The Scarlet Letter.” In the weeks leading up to her announcement, the performer left breadcrumbs for her fans, hinting at the upcoming release with tweets like “Scarlet was here” and “Scarlet’s watching,” each accompanied by the enigmatic blood drop emoji. This past weekend, she added another tweet to the series, saying, “Let myself heal, scar finally sealed.”

https://twitter.com/DojaCat/status/1667770830485618688

https://twitter.com/DojaCat/status/1661474428662972416

The forthcoming single will mark the artist’s first solo release since 2021’s Planet Her. The record climbed to No. 2 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. The project yielded several chart-topping hits, including “Need to Know,” “Woman,” “Ain’t S**t,” and “Get Into It (Yuh).”

Despite her commercial success, Doja stirred the pot in May when she critiqued her previous LPs, Planet Her and 2019’s Hot Pink. She candidly described them as “cash grabs,” going on to say, “Now I can go disappear somewhere and touch grass with my loved ones on an island while y’all weep for mediocre pop.”

The news also follows a recent incident where a premature upload of the song “Attention” led to its leak. The upload was intended for pre-saving on Spotify and Apple Music, but it quickly spread after going live and was subsequently deactivated. Beyond that, she also shared occasional updates about her upcoming album’s direction but remains elusive about specific details.