Doechii has said that SZA’s debut album ‘Ctrl’ gave her the courage to end things with her ex boyfriend.

The rapper in a recent interview was asked if she had ever been involved with a romantic partner who had held her back creatively.

“I only felt that way once,” she responded. “I was 18, and I was dating a guy who just wasn’t very supportive of my music, and it really stifled me. I stopped writing because he was just like, ‘That’s not cool’.”

Doechii added “I took his opinion way too seriously when really he just didn’t get it.”

The rapper went on to shout out SZA’s Grammy-Nominated album released in 2017.

Doechii explained: “I remember listening to SZA’s ‘Ctrl’ for the first time and it literally gave me the courage to break up with him. I only bring that up because she inspired me to be vulnerable through my music in a way that I didn’t think I could be.”

When she was asked as to whether there’s one song she’s made to help people regain power after having a similar relationship, the rapper replied: “‘Girls’ [2021], the first song I dropped that went viral, was 100 per cent about that ex.

“I had been working on it for a year and I played it for him, and he was like, ‘This sucks. What are you even talking about?’ And I was like, ‘Oh yeah, I got to fix this’. And the girls loved it because they felt me.”

Doechii was then asked if anyone she had written about had ever reached out to say something. She responded: “If I’m writing about you in the negative, you can’t reach out – you’re blocked.”

Meanwhile, at the 2025 Grammys, Doechii in a historical turn of events won the decorated Best Rap Album with her ‘Aligator Bites Never Heal’ mixtape. She has since shared the singles ‘Nosebleeds’ and ‘Anxiety’, and teamed up with BLACKPINK‘s Jennie on ‘Extral’.

Doechii is set to headline the West Holts stage at Glastonbury 2025 this summer – where she’ll go up against Charli XCX’s bill-topping slot on the Other Stage.