[5][6] In August 2022, she shaved both her head and her eyebrows during an Instagram Live, which received criticism from fans online, many of whom believed she was suffering from a mental health crisis and looked "unfuckable".

"[7] In an interview with Variety, Doja Cat said that her fourth studio album would be more focused on hip hop and would have a "more masculine direction".

[8] On April 17, 2023, Doja Cat shared snippets of various songs on Instagram Live and posted a list of 19 tracks considered for her upcoming album, including "Attention".

[7] The first verse addresses her decision to withdraw as an opener from the North American leg of the Weeknd's 2022 After Hours til Dawn Tour due to her tonsil surgery ("I could've been an opener, I redirect the bookin") and criticisms of her shaved head and weight loss ("Lost a lil' weight, but I ain't never lost a tushy/Lookin' good, but now my bald head match my [pussy]") and her social media ("Talk your shit about me, I can easily disprove it, it's stupid/You follow me, but you don't really care about the music").

[21][4] She also addresses those who pretend to be her fans and express feigned concern for her mental wellbeing ("I readed all the comments saying, 'D, I'm really shooketh'/'D, you need to see a therapist, is you looking'") and the money and attention that they get when she decides to respond to their criticisms online ("You're lucky 'cause I just paid your bill with a reply").

[15][7] Doja Cat later called online accusations that this was a diss toward Cardi B a "reach" in a tweet posted soon after the song's release.

[23] Steffanee Wang of Nylon summarized the lyrics of "Attention" as being about "what it means to be a popstar in 2023: putting yourself up unconditionally for other people's consumption, being at the mercy of your fans and haters".

[14][4] For The Face, Olive Pometsey wrote, "'Attention' appears to be an attempt [for Doja Cat] to assert herself as a 'proper' rapper, stripping away any pop production to leave the spotlight on her bars.