Aug. 17 (UPI) -- Doja Cat is feeling "free" as fans continue to unfollow her on social media.
The 27-year-old singer and rapper reacted Tuesday after losing thousands of followers on Instagram following drama with fans.
"Seeing all these people unfollow me makes me feel like I've defeated a large beast that's been holding me down for so long and it feels like I can reconnect with the people who really matter and love me for who I am and not for who I was," she wrote on Instagram Stories. "I feel free."
Doja Cat clashed with fans in July after slamming her followers who use the fandom name "kitten" or "kittenz" and telling them to "get a job."
Billboard said July 25 that Doja Cat had lost nearly 300,000 followers on Instagram in the past 30 days.
In the September issue of Harper's Bazaar, Doja Cat said in an interview prior to the drama that she doesn't see herself as worthy of veneration.
"I think I deserve love and respect from the people that I love and respect back -- and I guess respect means different things to some people," she said. "I put myself out there on social media and TV. I shoot my image out onto these screens. But I don't really put myself out there in real life. I don't go to clubs. I stick to creating."
The singer did say she loves "positive feedback" and seeing her fans have her back online.
"I appreciate when people speak up for someone who is getting bullied or attacked by internet trolls... Some of the most moving moments for me have been when my fans have stood up for me or for other people. That's fighting for something real," she said.
Doja Cat most recently released the single "Paint the Town Red" on Aug. 4.
