Doechii's star keeps rising

Award-winning rapper rewards audience, says Kate Soloman

- Kate Solomon

The biblical clash of Charli XCX, Neil Young, Scissor Sisters and Doechii came to pass and Doechii definitely did not lose out. The crowd was densely packed at the front of West Holts and sure, maybe she didn’t get her own safety warning, but it was nothing like the big shambles of 2024 – when deeply misjudged scheduling left SZA and Janelle Monae both playing to thin, barely interested crowds at the Pyramid Stage.

Doechii isn’t the only choice tonight, but you wouldn’t know it. You wouldn’t know she’s up against Charli having her big Brat moment, which no doubt split potential crowd. Choosing to spend your Saturday headline slot with her doesn’t feel like a consolation prize. In fact, you’d be forgiven for thinking Doechii had been playing to festival crowds for decades – the Floridian rapper’s first taste of fame came in 2021 when she went viral on TikTok, but in the last 12 months she has crossed over; her album