Doja Cat's Coachella Mishap Goes Viral

Doja Cat showed she was the utmost professional when she suffered a mishap onstage during her headlining set at Coachella.

The 28-year-old, whose given name is Amala Ratna Zandile Dlamini, was the last act to hit the stage of the two-weekend festival on Sunday,

During a performance of her hit "F*** the Girls (FTG)" from her 2023 album, Scarlet, Doja Cat was waiting for one of her crew members or dancers to hand her a microphone so she could perform the song but was left empty handed.

doja cat at coachella
Doja Cat performs at the Coachella Stage on April 21, 2024, in Indio, California. She was praised for her handling of an onstage mishap during the set. Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Coachella

She gestured a few times to get their attention to show she had no microphone, but continued to lip-synch the lyrics and perform choreography for the song.

Doja Cat turned to face her band and raised her hands to ask where the microphone was and was eventually handed a piece, but she seemed exasperated to find it didn't seem to be working.

Eventually, she got it switched on and without missing a beat joined right back into the song like nothing had happened.

A clip of the moment went viral after Pop Crave reposted the video from X, formerly Twitter account, Viral Thingz. The post has reached almost 269,000 views.

Her fans flooded the replies with messages of praise for the singer/rapper.

"I didn't even notice she didn't have a mic. I just thought she was emoting," commented @yuhianka.

"She's such a professional," added @arishexiscoming.

And @emysbill wrote: "She's such a true performer."

While @cliqueminaj posted: "Her stage presence is CRAZY."

Despite Coachella's disappointing ticket sales this year, which experts told Newsweek was due to a range of factors such as the cost of living crisis, Doja Cat earned rave reviews for her set.

She became the second Black woman to headline the festival after Beyoncé's performance in 2018.

"I suspect it will become a staple on best-of-Coachella lists for years to come," wrote Alaina Demopoulos for the The Guardian.

"For all the endless chatter this year about a lackluster lineup, Doja proved she's worthy of a headline spot, so long as the people in charge—and, crucially, her fans—trust her to do it her own way," Demopoulos wrote.

Coachella also featured headline performances from Lana Del Rey, Tyler the Creator and even a reunion by 1990s mega-band, No Doubt.

It was attended by many A-list celebrities from Kendall Jenner, to Hailey and Justin Bieber, and the newest power couple of the moment, Taylor Swift and NFL star Travis Kelce.

Uncommon Knowledge

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

About the writer


Shannon Power is a Greek-Australian reporter, but now calls London home. They have worked as across three continents in print, ... Read more

To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.

Newsweek cover
  • Newsweek magazine delivered to your door
  • Newsweek Voices: Diverse audio opinions
  • Enjoy ad-free browsing on Newsweek.com
  • Comment on articles
  • Newsweek app updates on-the-go
Newsweek cover
  • Newsweek Voices: Diverse audio opinions
  • Enjoy ad-free browsing on Newsweek.com
  • Comment on articles
  • Newsweek app updates on-the-go