"Vegas" is a song by American rapper and singer

Doja Cat Amala Ratna Zandile Dlamini (born October 21, 1995), known professionally as Doja Cat (), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, she began making and releasing music on SoundCl ...

. It was released through

Kemosabe Records Kemosabe Records is an American record label founded by record producer Dr. Luke in 2011. It was launched as an imprint of RCA Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment. Based in Los Angeles, California, the label has signed acts including ...

and

RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic R ...

as the lead single from the

soundtrack A soundtrack is a recorded audio signal accompanying and synchronised to the images of a book, drama, motion picture, radio program, television show, television program, or video game; colloquially, a commercially released soundtrack album of m ...

for

Baz Luhrmann Mark Anthony "Baz" Luhrmann (born 17 September 1962) is an Australian film director, producer, writer, and actor whose various projects extend from film and television into opera, theatre, music, and the recording industries. He is regarded by ...

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...

biopic, ''

Elvis Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Presley's sexuall ...

'', on May 6, 2022. The official music video for the song was released on June 2, 2022. It became Doja Cat's seventh top-ten single on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and received a nomination at the

65th Annual Grammy Awards The 65th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony was held at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on February 5, 2023. It recognized the best recordings, compositions, and artists of the eligibility year – October 1, 2021 to September 30, 2022 – as de ...

for

Best Rap Performance The Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance is an honor presented to recording artists for quality rap performances. It was first presented at the 31st Annual Grammy Awards in 1989 and again at the 32nd Annual Grammy Awards in 1990, after which p ...

and a nomination at

2023 MTV Movie & TV Awards The 2023 MTV Movie & TV Awards were the 31st edition of the MTV Movie & TV Awards, and the sixth to jointly honor film and television. It was originally scheduled to be held on May 7, 2023, at Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California, and be ho ...

for Best Song.

Composition

The song's lyrics refer to a man who was an "underwhelming lover" whom Doja Cat feels "never deserved her attention". Produced by

Rogét Chahayed Rogét Lutfi Chahayed (born May 31, 1988) is an American record producer and songwriter. Referred to as "one of hip-hop and pop's most dependable hit machines" by ''Billboard'', Chahayed has received nine Grammy Award nominations; in 2022, he w ...

and

Yeti Beats David Alexander Sprecher (born July 2, 1981), known professionally as Yeti Beats, is an American record producer and songwriter. He is best known for his work with American singer and rapper Doja Cat, having produced her breakout singles "Candy", ...

, it samples Shonka Dukureh's recording of the song " Hound Dog", which was written by

Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller Leiber and Stoller were an American songwriting and record production duo, consisting of lyricist Jerome Leiber (; April 25, 1933 – August 22, 2011) and composer Michael Stoller (born March 13, 1933). As well as many R&B and pop hits, they wr ...

, first recorded by

Big Mama Thornton Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton (December 11, 1926 – July 25, 1984), was an American singer and songwriter of blues and R&B. The ''Encyclopedia of Pop, Rock and Soul'' described Thornton by saying: "Her booming voice, sometimes 200-pound fra ...

(who Dukureh plays in the film) in 1952 and notably covered by Presley.

Critical reception

Writing for ''

Consequence Consequence may refer to: Philosophy, science and social sciences * Logical consequence, also known as a ''consequence relation'', or ''entailment'' * Consequent, in logic, the second half of a hypothetical proposition or consequences * Consequent ...

'', Carys Anderson felt that Doja Cat "lives up to the challenge" of Luhrmann "pairing historical content with modern music", calling it "

Ain't Shit "Ain't Shit" is a song by American rapper and singer Doja Cat from her third studio album ''Planet Her'' (2021). It was released through Kemosabe and RCA Records alongside the parent album as an album track. Originally under the title "Niggas Ain' ...

" meets "Hound Dog". Wongo Okon of ''

Uproxx Uproxx Studios (stylized as ''UPROXX'') is an American music, entertainment and popular culture website and content studio. It was founded in 2008 by Jarret Myer and Brian Brater. The website was acquired in 2014 by Woven Digital (which later ...

'' remarked that Doja "raps with a vengeance".

Commercial performance

"Vegas" peaked at number ten on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, becoming Doja's seventh top-ten single. The song also reached number one on the Pop Songs chart, making it the first solo soundtrack song to reach the top of that chart since

Justin Timberlake Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actor, record producer, and dancer. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Prince of Pop", ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' honored him as the b ...

's "

Can't Stop the Feeling! "Can't Stop the Feeling!" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Justin Timberlake. It was released on May 6, 2016, as the lead single of the soundtrack to the film ''Trolls'' (2016), in which Timberlake voiced the character "Branch" ...

" in 2016. It also makes her the artist with the most number ones on Pop Songs this decade among women.

Live performances

Prior to its official release, Doja Cat performed "Vegas" for the first time during the 2022

Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival Coachella (officially called the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and sometimes known as Coachella Festival) is an annual music and arts festival held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Coachella Valley in the Colora ...

. She was joined by Shonka Dukureh, who performed the sample she provided for the song.

Music video

The music video was released on June 2, 2022. It is directed by child., and features a cameo by Dukureh, who portrays

in ''Elvis''.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{Doja Cat 2022 singles 2022 songs Doja Cat songs Kemosabe Records singles RCA Records singles Song recordings produced by Yeti Beats Songs written by Doja Cat Songs written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller Songs written by Rogét Chahayed Songs written by Yeti Beats