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Pharell is an artist that makes a great impact not only through his positive , uplifting and inspirational music, but through his social and economical impact across an array of social justice issues including, sustainable fashion, education and protection of creators rights, (4 Ways Pharrell Williams Has Made an Impact: Supporting the Music Industry, Amplifying Social Issues & More | RECORDINGACADEMY.com, 2022). Due to his musical and production accolades as well as his significant social impact, it comes as no surprise this artist has a major influence on Doja Cat and their artistry.

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Drake has been championed by The Guardian, "as both an R&B loverman and a hip-hop thug, and much like a painter adding detail after detail to his own self portrait, Drake constantly perfects his image", (Beaumont-Thomas, 2018). Like Doja Cat, her transformation from sweet beats, R&B hip-hop fusion in Amala and Planet Her, to switching gears into savage mode for her latest album Scarlet, puts her in line with the creative works of Drake.

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Nicki Minaj emergence on the music scene in 2007, changed the game, in regards to the perspective and expectations of female rappers in the music industry(Nicki Minaj and Her Impact on the HipHop Industry – Artist Paper – Black Music Scholar, 2023). Nicki Minaj is a master of pop, rap, hip hop fusion as is clear from her numerous awards, accolades and nominations as listed in Hip Hop Gods (2018). This is something Doja Cat has mastered in her own music mixing career. Minaj is a master of utilising metaphors, clever word play, comedy and accents to accentuate her direct and often sexually explicit lyricism. Hargrove writes about Doja, "she's an obvious student of Nicki Minaj - a theatrical and animated rapper who commands the stage." (2022).

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I admire DOJA'S ability to produce hit after hit of varying musical composition. Doja Cat perfectly describes her music as "candy-coated beats" (2019). This description is right on point as all of her melodic and harmonic materials are diverse yet all have an addictive quality. I appreciate that she had humble beginnings, with her history of Garage Band and various plugins for her early production works like So High, (How to Sound like Doja Cat, 2021). Doja's inspiring lyrics are rooted in many socio-cultural issues including female empowerment, feminism and sex positivity all of which are delivered with her signature unapologetic attitude. Popsugar reports that Doja Cat has cited some of her musical influences as being Nicki Minaj, Drake and Pharell Williams (Mallden, 2019).

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Stevie Wonder, born Stevland Hardaway Morris, is "an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, a child prodigy who developed into one of the most creative musical figures of the 20th century." (Williams, 2023). Lizzo is an artist that was born and raised in the church community on distinct gospel sounds along with the likes of Elton John and Stevie Wonder, (Lizzo – the Vogue, 2013). When listening to Lizzo's music, it is not hard to detect the influence of Wonder within the sweet synth, happy pop, soul filled bubble that bursts when the listener presses play on any one of the iconic popstars tunes.

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Destiny's Child, one of the most popular female R&B groups of the late 90s, where responsible for producing a myriad of groundbreaking hits focused on female empowerment, female sexuality and motivational drive. Lizzo has made a point of noting that, "every time i hear Beyonce, its like 'man, i want to make people feel this way. how can i make people feel this way too?'", and confessed she even skipped school once to attend a Destiny's Child performance at her local Walmart,(https://www.facebook.com/peoplemag, 2022). It comes as no surprise, given Lizzo's motivational and influential content, that the artist found Inspiration from the hit girlband.

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Elton John is a true global icon, from his mile long track record of hit after hit, to his flamboyant style, to his signature piano mastery, he is without a doubt a living, breathing, legend of the music industry. Elton John has spoken on the influence that Liberace had on him and his artistry growing up, (Drotos, 2019). Lizzo cites Elton John for being one of her main musical influences, this can clearly be seen in the way she carries herself as a performer. From her over the top costuming, to her effervescent presence, the link between the two artists is undeniable. It is interesting to analyse the passing of the baton, amongst all of these musical icons, and to acknowledge the similarities between their hard work, stagecraft and mastery flamboyance, and their abilities to slay each of their subjective instruments, and work them into their music seamlessly.

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Considering Micheal Jackson is considered the King of Pop and Beyonce has cemented her Queen B status, it comes a no surprise that the late Micheal Jackson is considered one of her major influences. Considering both artists began performing from a young age and where managed by their respective parents, both fighting for social justice issues in their music and art  and both garnered an assembly of hit albums and singles, it comes as no surprise that MJ would be a major influence for Beyoncé. Beyoncé has stated that "Jackson inspired her from a very young age" and that when she first began performing her producer would, "make her listen to Micheal Jacksons live performance of 'Who's Loving You'", "For hours back to back", creating a undeniable link between the two legendary performers (Akanksha Ghotkar, 2020).

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The late Aretha Franklin garnered plenty of respect throughout her incredible career as a musical artist, cementing herself as the Queen of Soul with her heartfelt, punchy and undoubtably soulful lyrics. As a black female artist starting out in the 60s, her music paved the way for all that would follow in her footsteps. Beyoncé has cited Aretha as one of her major influences and even dedicated a concert in Aretha Franklins hometown of Detroit, to the late singer, at the time she was gravely ill, (Beyoncé Honours Aretha in Detroit Hometown, 2018).

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Madonna is an artist who has always been known for pushing boundaries and the public perception of her music, art and stylistic choices. Her musical genre has ranged from "fusing post disco dance with effervescent pop" to "modern R&B" to "electronica", (Madonna, 2023). Madonna has utilised her resources to raise awareness and bring attention to women's rights and sexuality, encouraging empowerment, assertiveness and integrity, and paving the way for women in the music industry along the way. It is clear the influence Madonna has had not only in Beyoncé and her music, but in her messaging and socio economic impact. The linkage and mutual admiration of the two icons can be established through their recent collaboration together on Beyoncé's latest album Renaissance (Saad, 2023).

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GR33DY GR33N, otherwise known as Brianna Hudson, has cited Beyonce, Doja Cat and Lizzo as being 3 of her all time influential artists. GR33DY GR33N's lyricism and sound is unusual but can be traced back to the roots of having garnered inspiration from these major influences, their ability to warp synths and beats and specifically their addressing of socio-cultural issues within their music.

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Beyoncé is one of my most influential artist's for many reasons. I love that her music style has evolved through so many genres and composition styles, from early RnB works with Destiny's Child, to pop and soul in Dangerously in Love, B'Day and I Am...Sasha Fierce, to HipHop / Rap in Beyoncé and Lemonade, to implementing South African influences into her visual art piece Black is King, to beautiful hypnotic dance beats and synth melodies for her latest album Renaissance. Her extensive working history and musical artistry is awe inspiring. I admire that with all of her music, Beyoncé addresses an extensive range of social and political issues. Some of her main themes include female empowerment, racism and social justice, infidelity and self love. Each theme is portrayed through articulate and thoughtful lyricism and is something I greatly admire about them as an artist. With her progressive beat and rhythm coupled with her ability to manipulate harmonies, Beyoncé creates a hypnotic trance like theme throughout her extensive range of work. Some of Beyoncé's main influences are Micheal Jackson, Aretha Franklin and Madonna (Beyoncé - TeachRock, 2022)

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I love Lizzo and everything she embodies as an artist. She has continuously created a diverse range of textures with her music garnering a collection of pop hits throughout her career. She utilises synth hooks, a broad range of beats and gospel-esque harmonisation to create feel good tunes for her dedicated audience. Lizzo inspires me as an artist as she breaches a broad range of socio-cultural issues in her lyrics. Her promotion of body positivity and self love resonates with a worldwide audience. Her positive messaging is inspirational and one of the reasons I began my music journey. She is also known for her skills in playing the flute, and incorporates this numerous times across various hits. The Vogue states that some of the most influential artists throughout Lizzo's life include Elton John, Stevie Wonder and Destinies Child (Lizzo – the Vogue, 2013).