At the end of 2024, no rising pop artist felt like a safer bet for a big 2025 than TDE rapper Doechii. She’d been rising on streaming thanks to buzz around her August mixtape Alligator Bites Never Heal, with fans electrified by her verbal dexterity, jump-off-the-page personality, stunning live performances and genre-splicing singles like “Nissan Altima” and “Denial Is a River.” And by Grammy night 2025, she was ready to make good on her potential, winning best rap album and delivering the night’s knockout performance with a “Catfish”/”Denial” medley. She was on her way to a true breakout season — though one that perhaps didn’t quite end as triumphantly as it began.
This Greatest Pop Stars of 2025 episode of the Greatest Pop Stars podcast looks at how Doechii ended up at No. 9 on our list — her first-ever appearance on Greatest Pop Stars’ year-end rankings — thanks to a year that started out with as much forward momentum as anyone in pop music, if not more. (You can find Kyle Denis’ essay on Doechii’s star-making season here.) Today, AJ Marks — moderator at r/Popheads, and host of the excellent Main Pod Girl podcast — joins host Andrew Unterberger to relive the rollercoaster year that was Doechii’s 2025, which climaxed in her new-old single becoming both her biggest hit and perhaps her most polarizing release.
Along the way, we address all the most pressing questions from Doechii’s 2025: Should “Denial Is a River” have been even bigger than it was? How did Will Ferrell and Ana Gasteyer get up on “Catfish” so quickly? Is “ExtraL” the “Bottoms Up” of our generation? Should Doechii be eyeing a role in the sequel to One of Them Days? Why hasn’t “Girl, Get Up” with SZA been more explosive on streaming yet? Was “Anxiety” the best thing that happened to Doechii in 2025 or the worst thing? And perhaps more importantly: Is Doechii entering 2026 still with as much commercial promise and potential as she began 2025?
Check it out above, along with a YouTube playlist of some of the greatest moments of Doechii’s 2025 — all of which are discussed on the pod — and subscribe to the Greatest Pop Stars podcast on Apple Music or Spotify (or wherever you get your podcasts) for complete podcast coverage of this year’s Greatest Pop Stars of 2025 list!
