Doja Cat changed the lyrics of “Paint the Town Red” during her November 4 concert in Dallas, Texas, delivering a pointed reference to the 2026 midterm elections. Performing at the American Airlines Center as part of her Tour Ma Vie World Tour, the Grammy-winning singer replaced the chorus line “I don’t care, I paint the town red” with “I don’t care I paint the town BLUE,” while the stage lighting switched to blue.
The alteration came one day after the November 3 midterm elections, amid Democratic gains nationally and in Texas. The color switch made the reference immediately recognizable: red and blue have long served as shorthand for the Republican and Democratic parties, respectively. Doja did not deliver a campaign speech or expand on the lyric, allowing the brief change and its visual accompaniment to carry the message.
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The gesture was especially striking in Texas, a state that has remained reliably Republican in statewide elections for decades, even as large urban centers such as Dallas have become Democratic strongholds.
Doja Cat has not built her public image around partisan campaigning, though she has occasionally addressed international conflicts and humanitarian issues, including Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan and the Congo. The Dallas moment was a more direct use of a live performance to engage with U.S. electoral politics.
Released on August 4, 2023, “Paint the Town Red” served as the lead single from Doja’s fourth studio album, Scarlet. Built around a sample of Dionne Warwick’s 1964 recording “Walk On By,” the track became her first solo song to top the Billboard Hot 100.
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