Doja Cat’s “I don’t know what that is” response to Ella Langley certainly got people talking earlier this week. Now, she’s gone one step further and actually given ‘Choosin’ Texas’ a “first time” listen…

Doja was asked by Caleb Pressley whether she was an “Ella’s Fella” during Sundae Conversation, responding: “I don’t know what that is.” When Pressley followed up by asking whether she liked Ella Langley, Doja gave him the same answer.

Whether she genuinely didn’t recognise Ella’s name in the moment or simply hadn’t crossed paths with her music, who knows. But for someone whose own career has been so intertwined with the internet, many fans have argued that it did feel like a slightly clickbaity response, given just how far ‘Choosin’ Texas’ has travelled.

Doja has spent years online and regularly livestreams with fans. Her early breakout ‘Mooo!’ was born through internet culture, while ‘Say So’ became an enormous hit after exploding through a viral TikTok dance.

Meanwhile by April, TikTok said ‘Choosin’ Texas’ had already been used in more than 650,000 creations, generating over 1.5 billion views. It’s now spent 19 weeks at No. 1 on the all genre Billboard Hot 100, tying ‘Old Town Road’ and ‘A Bar Song (Tipsy)’ for the longest running non-holiday No. 1 in the chart’s history. So how someone in the music industry hasn’t come across it, or worse, not heard of the artist, didn't sit right with many fans - especially Langley's loyal Ella Fellas.

So, you don’t have to like country. It doesn’t even have to be on your radar. But acting as though one of the biggest songs in America somehow doesn’t exist is always going to invite questions. Especially when you’re someone who works in music, spends a considerable amount of time online and built part of your own career through exactly the kind of viral internet culture ‘Choosin’ Texas’ has completely dominated.

Whether Doja genuinely hadn’t come across Langley before, didn’t recognise the name in the moment or was simply playing into the exchange, only she knows. But the phrasing of “I don’t know what that is” was always going to raise a few eyebrows.

Doja has now listened for herself during a livestream, admitting: “Yeah, this is not my vibe, but she has a very pretty voice.”

She also described the song as “very earwormy” and, when viewers seemingly interpreted her reaction as hating on it, however, she did then make the distinction.

“The song’s not bad. It’s literally not bad. The music isn’t bad. I just don’t f***ing like it. Just because I don’t like something doesn’t make it bad.”

And that’s fair enough. Doja has never positioned herself as a country fan.

She also knows a thing or two about dominating the Hot 100 herself. ‘Say So’ gave Doja her first No. 1 in 2020, spending one week at the top, while ‘Paint the Town Red’ added another three in 2023.

Although ‘Choosin’ Texas’ hadn't made it onto Doja's radar, numerous other artists outside of country have been championing the track. Drake has called Ella’s songwriting a “goated pen”, played ‘Choosin’ Texas’ while DJing in Houston and just this week, turned up at her Arkansas show where he was filmed singing along with Ernest from the crowd.

Matthew McConaughey and Jimmy Fallon have turned it into a bluegrass number on national television, Kelly Clarkson has covered it and artists far beyond country music's Nashville-based circle have continued putting their own spin on the song.

So Doja not knowing Ella Langley at this stage does beg the question, “Really?”

Whether it resonated with Doja Cat or not, 19 weeks at No. 1, billions of views and a growing list of artists from completely different corners of music suggest it has resonated pretty well with everyone else.

Ella is yet to comment, maybe because she’s never heard of Doja Cat. Meow.