Dumisani Dlamini's Biography, Age, Spouse, Tribe, Real Name, Networth and Lifestyle Wikidata | Claim this profile

Dumisani Dlamini's Biography in Summary

Creativity is in Doja Cat's blood. The Grammy winner's parents, Deborah Elizabeth Sawyer and Dumisani Dlamini, are also artists.

Sawyer is a painter and clothing designer, and Dlamini is a South African actor and dancer best known for his role in the 1992 film Sarafina! Alongside Whoopi Goldberg.

Sawyer and Dlamini had a brief romantic relationship in the 1990s before breaking up. Doja Cat (real name Amala Ratna Zandile Dlamini) and her older brother, Raman Dalithando Dlamini, were raised by their mother in New York and California.
 

"My mom is, like, a hippie from the '60s, super, like, chill with most things," the rapper and singer said to Billboard in 2021. "She wanted to be involved in everything, including music. "She wanted to hear it."

When asked about Dlamini during an interview with Radio One D.C., the "Paint the Town Red" singer revealed that she had never met him.

"He's an incredible dancer and an excellent actor. "But, yeah, I don't know him very well," Doja Cat admitted.

Deborah Elizabeth Sawyer and Dumisani Dlamini are Doja Cat's parents. Here's everything you need to know about them, from their shared love of the arts to their social media interactions.
 

Dlamini and Sawyer met in New York

According to Rolling Stone, Sawyer and Dlamini met in New York while he was performing in Sarafina! on Broadway. Their relationship was short-lived.
 

Sawyer filled Doja Cat’s childhood with the arts

Doja Cat revealed during a 2020 appearance on VladTV that her mother is also an artist.

Sawyer shared her passion for art with her daughter, Doja Cat, who mentioned that her mother enrolled her in several performing arts schools.

Outside of school, she was a member of a dance crew that competed in breakdance battles.

Doja Cat told Billboard that her mother and grandmother's paintings influenced aspects of her own career.

Sawyer, like her daughter, loves music, particularly hip-hop. Doja Cat called her mother a "hip-hop head" on The Hotbox in 2013.


"Really ironic 'cause, like, I'm Jewish, my grandma's Jewish, she's white, and she was never exposed to music like that until she started meeting people," said the performer. "And then she was like, 'Wow, like, I really love this.'"

Doja Cat continued: "She would play a lot of Erykah Badu, a lot of Fugees, and Jamiroquai and Seal, Earth, Wind & Fire, Alice Coltrane, John Coltrane, a lot of stuff like that."

When the rapper started making her own music, Sawyer encouraged her.

"She was always excited whenever I was like, 'Hey, you wanna come hear this?'" Doja Cat informed Billboard.
 

Doja Cat’s first original song was for Sawyer

Doja Cat's first song was written specifically for Sawyer. She was eight years old at the time.

"I don't remember how it goes," she told Billboard. "I mean, I kind of do, but I'm not telling anyone what the lyrics are. I'm kind of ashamed. I'm not sure why. "It is too mushy for me."
 

Doja Cat has never met her father

Doja Cat was raised in the United States, while Dlamini lived in South Africa. The rapper and her father have connected on social media, but they do not have an in-person relationship.

"I felt confused, a little bit," Doja Cat told Rolling Stone in 2021. "It's a little strange to see everybody else with their dad, and you didn't even really have one."

 

Doja Cat and her mother lived in an ashram for a while

When Doja Cat was eight, her mother moved the family from Rye, New York, to the Sai Anantam Ashram, a commune in Santa Monica, California.

"It was very restraining," the singer told Rolling Stone about her experience. "My brother enjoyed it. He had many friends. But I had few friends. For me, it was simply, 'I can't eat whatever I want. "I can't really do kid stuff." Like, God forbid you don't wear a scarf around your shoulders."

However, there was one bright spot: Alice Coltrane, the legendary jazz musician, led the community.

"That was incredible for me to be around at such a young age," Doja Cat told Billboard. "She would sing, and it was captivating."
 

Dlamini is an actor

Dlamini has an extensive performing arts resume and more than 30 years of experience in the entertainment industry.

While speaking with GQ South Africa, Doja Cat's father revealed which role he has been most honored to play in his career.


Doja Cat complimented her father's talent while speaking with VladTV.


The singer added, "He just killed it. It was amazing. But I didn't know he could dance like that until yesterday."

Dlamini, who has over 18,000 Instagram followers, stated in his bio that he is a "Stage & TV Actor," a "MC/Host," and a "Motivational Speaker."

Doja Cat connected with Whoopi Goldberg over Dlamini

When Doja Cat and Goldberg met backstage at Late Night with Seth Meyers in November 2019, they immediately had something to discuss.

"I'm just thinking about my father because he was in Sarafina!" Yeah, so seeing and meeting you is, like, the craziest thing," Doja Cat said in a video of their encounter.

After she revealed her father's name, Goldberg exclaimed, "Get outta here!"

"Isn't that crazy?" Doja Cat informed her. "And I didn't get to meet him, but you did."

Goldberg described Dlamini as a "really good man," and then the two hugged.
 

Dlamini shows his support for Doja Cat online

When Doja Cat and Goldberg met backstage at Late Night with Seth Meyers in November 2019, they immediately had something to discuss.

"I'm just thinking about my father because he was in Sarafina!" Yeah, so seeing and meeting you is, like, the craziest thing," Doja Cat said in a video of their encounter.

After she revealed her father's name, Goldberg exclaimed, "Get outta here!"

"Isn't that crazy?" Doja Cat informed her. "And I didn't get to meet him, but you did."

Goldberg described Dlamini as a "really good man," and then the two hugged.
 

Sawyer filed a restraining order against her son in January 2024

According to court documents obtained by PEOPLE, Sawyer sought a temporary restraining order against Doja Cat's older brother, Raman Dalithando Dlamini, in January 2024. She claimed that Raman abused her and the singer on multiple occasions, making them feel "unsafe and traumatized."

The filing also claimed that Raman destroyed some of Doja Cat's belongings and threatened to kill Sawyer. Both women had temporary restraining orders against Raman in place since 2017, but they have since expired.