Doja Cat, Demons, and the Growing Interest In Satan

Secular artists have always pushed the boundaries of conservative morality. The Beatles, once considered a major threat to family values, seemed comically harmless when compared with Madonna just a few decades later. Marylin Manson came along, and his antics made everything else look like child's play.

The downward slide isn’t slowing down. The glorification of Satan and demons, once relegated to fringe metal bands, is now mainstream cool.

In 2019, hip hop artist Lil Nas X released a video for his single, “MONTERO,” which used state-of-the-art CGI to depict him descending into hell and giving Satan a lapdance. As of September 2023, this video has amassed over 500 million views.

UK pop star Sam Smith kept the momentum with his hell-themed performance of the song, “Unholy,” at the Grammys. He took the stage in a latex outfit and a devil-horned top hat before the co-writer and transgender artist Kim Petras made her entrance in a cage surrounded by three she-devils.

This brings us to a few weeks ago and the release of Doja Cat’s song, “Demons.” The horror-themed music video features Amala Diamani (Doja Cat) dressed up in a demon costume, haunting a suburban woman played by Christina Ricci.

It’s hard to imagine what the reaction to this video would have been 20 years ago, but today, the use of demonic and satanic imagery in mainstream entertainment is commonplace.

As followers of Jesus, what do we make of this?

A lot of it is fashion. Pop artists and movie makers are leveraging the widespread interest in ghosts, witches, and the supernatural to entertain.

They don’t take the spiritual side seriously. It’s just a game for them, like Halloween.

Another key driver of this content is the value of shock. The worst thing for an artist is to be neither hated nor loved, but to simply be ignored.

One proven method to maintain public interest is through controversy and shock. Artists will do and say extreme things to generate buzz. Given the public’s blasé response to provocative sexual displays, it seems dark spirituality is the next frontier in the shock game - and artists are putting it to good use.

A key motivation for portraying satan and demons for many secular artists is their “an enemy of an enemy is a friend” mindset.

There is an unabashed hostility towards anyone who holds to biblical values today. Artists parading Satan worship in their songs, videos, and performances represent more of a ‘middle finger’ to Christianity than an actual commitment to the worship of the devil.

Regardless of the reasons, it seems demons are trendy. Should I care - or just dismiss it as yet another sign of a hopelessly lost world?

Not if I want to be like Jesus.

He wouldn’t be hostile or indifferent. His heart breaks for those who don’t know Him, even those who actively reject Him.

Satan’s only goal is our complete and total destruction. He isn’t sexy, funny, or harmless. There will be severe consequences for those who open the door to his influence.

Still, Doja Cat, Lil Nas X, and Sam Smith are not our enemies. Jesus died for them, and like the father in the prodigal son story, He waits eagerly for them to come to their senses and turn back to Him.

We need to be like Jesus. We need to care.

We need to recognize that pop culture’s interest in the demonic is actually an opportunity. People are more spiritually open than ever, and they are actively looking for answers.

While the world flaunts their pseudo-Satan worship on stage, the fact is they have never been more anxious, confused, alone, and depressed.

We need to boldly share the truth. Satan is real, but so is the one who defeated him, and those who find Jesus, find the life and peace they desperately desire.
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Want to listen to the conversation related to this blog? Listen to Episode 489: Did You Know Demons Are Trending?!