I am tragically late to rapper/singer/songwriter/actor Doechii.

My first exposure to her came a few weeks ago via a link to her rapping and singing her song Anxiety, which samples the hook from Somebody That I Used to Know. Her energy and enthusiasm were boundless and infectious, her voice ethereal yet raw. I couldn’t stop watching. I felt like I was discovering a new talent.

That video, it turns out, was from five years ago. Then, just last month, she won a Grammy for Best Rap Album for her mixtape Alligator Bites Never Heal.

Is this what middle age feels like? Still, better to be in the caboose than stranded at the station.

Her Grammy win brought her NPR Tiny Desk concert from December back into rotation, and that’s what toppled me fully into the Doechii rabbit hole.

Doechii is irresistibly magnetic, utterly captivating, at once frenetic and nonchalant. I was absolutely mesmerized as she and her band performed at that desk. And her voice!—delicate and wispy one minute, rough and prickly the next—vulnerable and defiant in equal measure.

She’s a breathtakingly clever lyricist—dense, intricate, playful—and an evocative storyteller. She likewise brings considerable musicality to her arrangements, showcasing substantial range, from lush and orchestral beats (reminiscent of lo-fi), to textured, bouncy, and anthemic bops.

(Her Tiny Desk compositions brought a jazzy, ’90s hip-hop flavor, at one point with a brief but explicit reference to Digable Planet’s Rebirth of Slick’s sample of Art Blakely’s Stretching.)

She’s also blessed with a natural theatricality, possessing the dramatic spirit of a gifted musical theatre performer, despite no such experience. I’m hoping she’ll pursue this path; she has Future Broadway Star energy. In fact, I’ll wager she’ll need to clear space for the rest of the EGOT trophies within the next decade.

(Seriously. Watch the first few minutes of the music video for Denial is a River for a glimpse. She’s got some acting chops—natural, comfortable (likely honed over a decade of performing on YouTube and TikTok), and the ability to quickly and believably escalate emotionally. It’s evident in the Tiny Desk concert too. She was also in a 2023 movie, Earth Mama, her first acting gig. It won’t be her last.)

You can bet I’ll be watching Doechii’s career with tremendous interest.