"Say So": Music in the Era of Social Media

Doja Cat recently released the music video for her hit song “Say So.” The song, released in November, is part of Doja Cat’s second studio album, Hot Pink, and has garnered massive popularity the past few months, becoming her first Top 40 single. The success of “Say So” has been largely due to a viral dance trend featuring the song that has swept TikTok, featuring a signature punch and body roll.

The music video is retro-inspired, focusing primarily on the 70s. Doja Cat wears a number of dazzling outfits as she dances and parties amidst a glittering LA backdrop. Rather than creating an intricate plot or storyline, the video focuses primarily on its aesthetic factor. Heavy emphasis is placed on the bold colors and dynamic patterns of the 70s. Doja Cat floats from one glass mansion to another, and the resulting view of LA’s skyline and hills is reminiscent of classic LA films like La La Land or Mullholland Drive.

The Looks

Multicolored Ambition: In the first look of the music video, Doja Cat rocks a low-cut dress with a rainbow striped pattern. She ties the look together with thick hoop earrings, curled pigtails, standout lashes, and a nude lip.

Sparkling Sensation: Doja Cat dazzles in this silver dress encompassed by sequins. She completes the look with statement hoop earings, bright blue eyeshadow, and the perfect nude lip.

Vanity Dreams: Inside a house with glass walls tinted in various bold colors, Doja Cat gazes adoringly at her reflection in this lighted vanity mirror. Again, bold looks are the name of the game for this music video. Doja Cat dons a sparkly purple dress complemented by baby blue eyeshadow.

Dancing Queen: Doja Cat channels her inner TikTok star, performing the signature dance that played such an important role in popularizing her song. Perhaps her boldest look in the video, she wears a pink number adorned with large butterflies paired with Barbie-esque hot pink heels.

Disco Fever: Doja Cat transforms into a disco ball from head to toe and heads to the roller rink. It’s the perfect throwback look, incredibly flattering and accurate to the golden age of disco. Doja Cat even has the makeup to match, with silver glittery eyeshadow. She is absolutely ready to bust out her grooviest moves on the dance floor.

The Dancing

Doja Cat’s homage to the TikTok dance that popularized “Say So” has received well-deserved acclaim. She not only performs the dance herself in the video but also brings in 17-year-old Haley Sharpe, better known as yodelinghaley, the creator of the dance. This is a significant move in a time where young creators not being properly credited has generated much controversy.

The story of 14-year-old Jalaiah Harmon has been particularly notable. Harmon created a viral dance, known as “Renegade,” to K Camp’s song “Lottery.” She posted a video of her doing the dance to Funimate and Instagram. The dance eventually found its way to TikTok when a user named @global.jones posted a modified version of it. The user failed to properly credit Harmon, so when the dance blew up and countless users began doing the dance themselves, no one knew who to credit. No one has benefitted more from the dance than 15-year-old Charli D’Amelio, who became an overnight TikTok sensation for her dancing videos. Although D’Amelio never explicitly claimed credit for the dance, many people attributed it to her.

New York Times eventually reported on Harmon’s frustration at not receiving credit for the dance she had created. In response, D’Amelio and other popular TikTok creators have been meeting up with Harmon to dance to her original Renegade dance together. Harmon is now receiving due credit for her creation, but it still remains that D’Amelio received many opportunities that were rightfully Harmon’s. D’Amelio has been invited to a number of professional sporting events and fashion shows and even appeared in a Super Bowl commercial. People are particularly outraged by the fact that these opportunities that should have gone to a young black creator were instead handed to a white one.

In light of this controversy, Doja Cat’s decision to include Haley Sharpe in the “Say So” music video stands out as an important step in proper accreditation. Sharpe’s dance certainly played a major role in the success of “Say So.” Countless numbers of teenagers, bemused parents, and other people have been posting video after video of the dance, with its signature punch and body roll. Even celebrities such as James Charles and Oscar winner Laura Dern have been captured doing the dance. Sharpe’s appearance in the music video is an important step in the recognition of young creators.

The fact that “Say So” achieved mass popularity through TikTok also indicates that TikTok is becoming an increasingly influential platform for trends. The app has often been dismissed in the past due to its primarily Gen Z demographic as well as conspiracies that it is a tool used by the Chinese government for surveillance. But as the app has been increasing in popularity, it has already achieved widespread influence on trends, particularly in terms of music. “Say So” is only one of many songs, including Joji’s “Slow Dancing in the Dark” and Trevor Daniel’s “Falling” that have, in part, been popularized by the social media platform. TikTok is becoming a force to be reckoned with, and Doja Cat’s inclusion of the “Say So” dance in her music video is an important acknowledgement of that.

Cover image via.