"Anxiety" is a song by the American rapper and singer

Doechii Jaylah Ji'mya Hickmon (born August 14, 1998), known professionally as Doechii ( ), is an American rapper and singer. Her songs became viral videos on TikTok in 2021 and she signed recording contracts with Top Dawg Entertainment and Capitol Recor ...

, who originally released it on

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

on November 10, 2019. The song was

re-recorded A re-recording is a recording produced following a new performance of a work of music. This is most commonly, but not exclusively, by a popular artist or group. It differs from a reissue, which involves a second or subsequent release of a previousl ...

in 2025 after it began to gain traction on social media platforms and it was released to streaming platforms on March 4, 2025, through

Top Dawg Entertainment Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) is an American independent record label. Specializing in hip hop and R&B artists, TDE is based in Carson, California. The label was founded in 2004 by record producer Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith, who is the chief exec ...

and

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007), and simply known as Capitol, is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-base ...

. "Anxiety" prominently samples the 2011 song "

Somebody That I Used to Know "Somebody That I Used to Know" is a song written, produced and performed by the Belgian-Australian musician and singer Gotye featuring vocals from the New Zealander singer Kimbra. The song was released in Australia and New Zealand through El ...

" by

Gotye Wouter André De Backer (; born 21 May 1980), known professionally as Gotye ( , , ), is a Belgian-born Australian singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He is best known for his 2011 single "Somebody That I Used to Know" (featuring Kimbr ...

and

Kimbra Kimbra Lee Johnson (born 27 March 1990), known Mononymous person, mononymously as Kimbra, is a New Zealand singer and songwriter. Known for mixing pop with R&B, jazz and rock musical elements, her accolades include four ARIA Music Awards, two 2 ...

. "Anxiety" peaked at number nine on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, marking her first top ten hit in the United States. Outside of the United States, "Anxiety" topped the charts in Australia, Greece, Latvia, New Zealand, and Switzerland, and peaked within the top ten of the charts in various countries, including Romania, Austria, Germany, Ireland, Lithuania, France, Norway, and the United Kingdom. Following its release, it was added as a

bonus track An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track or cassette), or digital. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century a ...

on ''

Alligator Bites Never Heal ''Alligator Bites Never Heal'' is the second mixtape by the American rapper Doechii, released on August 30, 2024, through Top Dawg Entertainment and Capitol Records. It was supported by the singles " Nissan Altima", "Boom Bap", and " Denial Is ...

'' (2024), and it is the final track on the extended version. A music video for the song was released in April 2025.

Background and release

"Anxiety" was originally recorded by

in 2019 during the sessions for her debut mixtape ''Coven Music Sessions''. She originally self-released the song on her

channel on November 10, 2019. The song prominently samples "

" by Belgian-Australian singer

featuring New Zealand singer

. On September 15, 2023, American rapper

Sleepy Hallow Tegan Joshua Anthony Chambers (born December 20, 1999), known professionally as Sleepy Hallow, is a Jamaican-American rapper and singer-songwriter who specializes in Brooklyn drill. Born in Jamaica, Chambers was raised in Flatbush, Brooklyn, ...

released a song of the same title featuring Doechii as a single from his studio album ''Boy Meets World'', with the song's chorus containing a sample of Doechii's 2019 demo. In early 2025, Doechii's original recording of the song went viral on the social media platform

TikTok TikTok, known in mainland China and Hong Kong as Douyin (), is a social media and Short-form content, short-form online video platform owned by Chinese Internet company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which may range in duration f ...

. Subsequently, she posted a video to the platform to suggest that the formal release of "Anxiety" was forthcoming. On March 4, 2025, the official version of the song was released to streaming services, containing

vocals from the original demo she posted to YouTube.

Composition

The song prominently samples the 2011 song "

" by

featuring

, which in turn samples

Luiz Bonfá Luiz Floriano Bonfá (17 October 1922 – 12 January 2001) was a Brazilian guitarist and composer. He was best known for the music he composed for the film '' Black Orpheus''. Biography Luiz Floriano Bonfá was born on October 17, 1922, in Ri ...

instrumental An instrumental or instrumental song is music without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through Semantic change, semantic widening, a broader sense of the word s ...

"Seville" from his album ''Luiz Bonfá Plays Great Songs'' (1967).

Critical reception

Robin Murray of ''Clash'' wrote that the song "crosses multiple lands", stressing the "soul vocal, some revelatory lyricism, and hard-hitting flows" for which "the bluntest lines shine out". Murray also wrote that in the lyrics, the listener could find Doechii "working towards self-forgiveness, embracing a rounded maturity that can be lost amid the brash glare of the spotlight". Elias Andrews of ''

HotNewHipHop ''HotNewHipHop'' (HNHH) is an online publication that covers daily news about hip hop and pop culture, including streetwear, sports, and Sneaker collecting, sneakers. In addition to its editorial content, HotNewHipHop also produces the video seri ...

'' wrote that in the 2025 version, the rapper "digs more into the nervy intensity of the single", appreciating the "irregular, somewhat goofy rhythm" from the sample because it "serves as a template for Doechii's vocal approach." Andrews also noted Doechii's versatility between rapping and singing, saying that "Anxiety" proves "that she do both masterfully".

Music video

On April 18, 2025, a music video for the song directed by James Mackel was released. The video makes a reference to the music video for "Somebody That I Used to Know".

Commercial performance

"Anxiety" debuted at number 13 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. During its second week on the chart, "Anxiety" climbed to number 10, becoming her first top ten song and her highest charting song to date. In the United Kingdom, "Anxiety" debuted at number four on the UK Singles Chart on March 14, 2025 – for the week ending date March 20, 2025 – becoming Doechii's highest-debuting song and first top ten song in Britain. The following week, "Anxiety" climbed one position to its peak of number three on the UK Singles Chart. Sleepy Hallow's version of "Anxiety" debuted at number 15 on the UK Singles Chart, later peaking at number 15. In late March 2025, "Anxiety" topped the charts in Australia, Switzerland, New Zealand, and Latvia.

Usage in media

The song was used extensively in marketing material for the film ''

Final Destination Bloodlines ''Final Destination Bloodlines'' is a 2025 American supernatural horror film directed by Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein from a screenplay by Guy Busick and Lori Evans Taylor, based on a story by Jon Watts, Busick, and Evans Taylor. It is the si ...

.''

Charts

Weekly charts

Monthly charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{Doechii 2019 songs 2025 singles Capitol Records singles Doechii songs Number-one singles in Australia Number-one singles in Israel Number-one singles in Latvia Number-one singles in New Zealand Songs written by Gotye Songs about anxiety Top Dawg Entertainment singles Internet memes introduced in 2025 Songs involved in plagiarism controversies