Maybe it was the popularity of the Silhouette Challenge that planted the seed for Pepsi’s newest campaign with its sample of ’50s star Paul Anka alongside the sultry vocals of modern pop phenom Doja Cat. In the new ad, which promotes the brand’s new “soda shop” line of flavors, Doja Cat again takes on a retro classic, but this time adds another layer of meta flair with a cover of Olivia Newton-John’s Grease showstopper “You’re The One I Want.”
Recreating a handful of scenes from the ’70s film with the ’50s aesthetic, the new ad puts a modern spin on both, updating the rock-and-roll style music with glittering contemporary pop and utilizing a multicultural cast of greasers and preps. Meanwhile, despite taking on the role of Sandy, it turns out Doja’s mission isn’t so much hooking up with Danny, but getting her well-manicured hands on his can of Pepsi.
In an interview with Billboard about the new campaign, the MTV VMA host admitted having trouble locking down the vocal approach on the classic. “I sing, but I feel like I have a lot of trouble singing certain things, even my own songs,” she said. “This was one of those songs where I had to really push and find different parts of my singing ability to make it happen.”
“Back then, music was so different and so carefully done. It wasn’t just loops and beats, which is why I feel like this was a bit harder for me. I can’t believe I was able to kind of hit some of those notes because it’s a very difficult song to sing. I’m happy about it.”
Watch Doja Cat cover “You’re The One I Want” for Pepsi above.
