Lady Gaga describes Doechii as ‘immediately legendary’

By Lauren Del Fabbro, PA Entertainment Reporter

Popstar Lady Gaga has praised rapper Doechii and described her as “immediately legendary”.

The US rapper and singer, 26, who recently performed at Glastonbury, is best known for her hit song Denial Is A River.

The Poker Face star was reportedly an inspiration to Doechii, whose real name is Jaylah Hickmon, when she was growing up.

Speaking about Doechii, who appears on the cover of British Vogue, Gaga told the magazine: “You don’t often see someone come out of the gate with a pen that feels immediately legendary. That’s Doechii to me.

“I fell in love with her music and her raw, deeply personal perspective. The power in her words, her vulnerability, the way she rhymes with this wild mix of audacity and emotional precision – it struck me to the core.”

Doechii presented Gaga with the Innovator award at the 2025 iHeartRadio Music Awards, describing the singer as a “lifeline”.

She said: “Lady Gaga wasn’t just a pop star she was a lifeline. Gaga taught us that it was OK to be our real selves.”

Doechii released her first EP, Oh The Places You’ll Go, in 2020, and one of her tracks, Yucky Blucky Fruitcake, went viral.

Her rise to fame, however, came a few years later with the release of Alligator Bites Never Heal in 2024, which includes the songs Denial Is A River, Catfish and Nissan Altima.

Months later the rapper secured her first Grammy award for Best Rap Album, with nominations for Best Rap Performance and Best New Albums at the 67th award ceremony.

She is also behind the viral hit Anxiety, after the YouTube video of Doechii singing the song, which samples the 2011 hit Somebody That I Used To Know by Gotye and Kimbra, resurfaced.

The positive online response encouraged the rapper to release the full version, which marked the first time she reached number three in the UK singles chart.