“Anxiety” by Doechii was trending on social media, but what are the implications of such a deeply personal song going viral?
In 2025, Doechii released “Anxiety”, sampling the popular 2011 song “Somebody That I Used to Know” by Gotye. The lyrics of the song take listeners through Doechii’s own experience with anxiety, with descriptions of thoughts and feelings such as “somebody’s watchin’ me”, “I get this tightness in my chest, like an elephant is standing over me”, and “can’t shake it off of me”. The word “anxiety” appears repeatedly in the chorus of the song, accompanied by the catchy beat from Gotye’s original.
Anxiety, keep on tryin’ me
I feel it quietly, tryna silence me, yeah
Anxiety, shake it off of me Somebody’s watchin’ me, it’s my anxiety, yeah (Brrah)”
Almost instantly, the song went viral across social media platforms. Audiences were lip-syncing to the song, creating movie edits to its lyrics, and it even inspired a popular TikTok trend wherein people danced to the song whilst recreating this scene from The Fresh Prince of Bel Air:
Following on from its success, Doechii also started an online mental health hub1 for those experiencing anxiety, wherein individuals can “find guidance and tools to support [their] mental health” and may “find comfort in knowing that there are others on the journey”. The hub provides links to various sources of help for people experiencing mental health problems and accepts open-text audience submissions about what has helped with their anxiety
This exhibit is an example of an artist portraying their own mental health problems through song and its reception raises important questions about the implications of doing so.
For example, a professor of School Psychology praised Doechii for how she “nails both the physical and mental symptoms of anxiety”2. Her efforts in drawing from her personal struggles with anxiety to launch a mental health hub have also been commended by journalists3 and several users have contributed words of advice on what has helped them with their anxiety.
Simultaneously, “Anxiety” also received criticism. For example, some people with anxiety shared how it felt like the song was anxiety-provoking in itself4 and was romanticising their struggles5. The virality of the song further raises questions about whether it is appropriate to be creating TikTok dances to a song discussing a sensitive topic such as anxiety. There may also be concerns about whether allowing user contributions to her mental health hub might inadvertently propagate potentially unhelpful coping strategies for anxiety, such as avoidance (see above).
Disclaimer: I am not trying to invalidate Doechii’s mental health difficulties. In my opinion, the issue with this song isn’t the lyrics themselves but another aspect of music that needs to be considered: the sound and production. As you said, it sampled a major 2010s hit, and the catchy tune naturally makes people want to dance. For me, the potential problem comes from this upbeat production, because it can diminish the experience of having an anxiety disorder.
If we look at other songs interpreted by fans as portraying anxiety or even dissociation, good examples are Radiohead’s How to Disappear Completely and The National Anthem. The latter, to me, is the embodiment of generalised anxiety disorder through sound: the looping bass lines feel like persistent anxious thoughts, and the chaotic brass section resembles a traffic jam, capturing the overwhelming, excessive, and restless nature of anxiety. That kind of sound doesn’t trivialise the condition.
Concerning the TikTok trends, I recognise that for some people, dancing or singing can genuinely be a form of self-expression or a way to process their anxiety in a liberating way. The issue, in my view, isn’t personal expression; it’s when the experience of anxiety becomes a trend that’s disconnected from the depth of the condition itself.
Regarding Doechii’s website, my concern is the lack of a mental health professional moderating it. Without proper oversight, people with good intentions might give advice that isn’t sound or could be misinterpreted.
This is super interesting: how the catchiness of certain songs can detract away from their intended meaning, like the audience enjoys the music for how it sounds regardless of what it is about, which in turn can perhaps detract away from the artist’s intended meaning. I don’t know what could be done about this however, which goal would a musician have to compromise in order to avoid any risks – the catchiness of their music, or their self-expression as an artist? I suppose Doechii has also gone one step further here by using her song’s success to launch a mental health platform which appears well-received although the lack of moderation could be a concern.
I agree with Nadine Abdalla’s comments in regards to the catchy elements of the song. This can be a double edged sword; in one respect, the hooky, pop-oriented nature of the song can highlight the mental health issue to a wider audience. But it can also be the only thing people remember, its ”calling card” which can easily put people off and potentially trivialise the song and artists sentiment. I know my own early- teen kids found the insistent repeat of the word ”anxiety” too much and therefore didn’t take it seriously (though they still like and respect some of Doechii’s other works). In regards to the question at the end of the article”How can we differentiate between self-expression and romanticisation of mental health difficulties in music?” in my opinion it is down to genuine expression; for a lyricist that obviously comes through the lyrics but for an instrumentalist or soloist that comes from the expression in the attack the player brings to their instrument, whatever that instrument is (voice included). Again, just my opinion but true self expression will always connect with others on a deeper level.
Many thanks for sharing your thoughts! It is really interesting to think if listeners can inherently tell whether an artists expression of mental health-related concepts are genuine or not. Like you say, perhaps via the lyrics. Ultimately, however, I think it will vary from person to person, as well as what the song personally means to them and how it effects them. Hopefully we can continue to understand which examples do more harm than good and which ones do more good than harm!