Hip Hop/ Rap
Doechii Confronts Chaos and Paranoia in Striking “Anxiety” Music Video
Rising rap star Doechii is turning personal turmoil into art once again with her powerful new music video for “Anxiety,” a surreal and chaotic visual that mirrors the song’s raw emotion. The music video plunges viewers into a nightmarish landscape where the Florida native’s fears, insecurities, and inner struggles play out in jarring and symbolic ways.
The video begins calmly enough, with Doechii lounging on her bed, working on music—an intentional nod to her 2019 Coven Music Sessions, where “Anxiety” was first introduced to her early YouTube audience. But the calm quickly evaporates. A S.W.A.T. team violently bursts through her windows, kicking off a disorienting chain of events. Suddenly, Doechii is dodging sinister stares, scrambling to put out fires in her kitchen, and sprinting into the street, where a menacing crowd of neighbours slowly closes in on her.
This descent into chaos captures the very feeling the song explores. “Anxiety, keep on trying me / Feel it quietly, tryna silence me,” she sings in the haunting hook. It’s a reflection of modern mental health battles, where tension simmers quietly, then erupts without warning.
Directed by James Mackel, the video doesn’t just capture psychological panic—it also pays tribute to Gotye, pop culture roots. One striking moment sees Doechii glance across the room at a man and woman who have camouflaged themselves into the walls using bold, geometric body paint. It’s a clear homage to Gotye’s iconic “Somebody That I Used to Know” video, which “Anxiety” heavily samples. The song’s interpolation of Gotye’s 2011 hit adds an eerie familiarity to Doechii’s version, transforming a breakup anthem into a chilling narrative about being watched, overwhelmed, and mentally consumed.
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“Anxiety” officially hit streaming platforms in March and quickly climbed the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 10 and marking Doechii’s first-ever top 10 hit. Its release was long-awaited by fans who have followed her journey from viral videos to Grammy-winning star. In the eight months since her critically acclaimed mixtape Alligator Bites Never Heal, Doechii has been unstoppable, rising to No. 12 on the Billboard 200 and becoming only the third woman to win Best Rap Album at the Grammys.
Her momentum continued in March when she was honoured as Woman of the Year at the Billboard Women in Music Awards—a milestone that reflects both her artistry and her influence in reshaping the landscape of hip-hop.
“Anxiety” arrives as a culmination of that journey: a polished, fearless, and vulnerable piece that cements Doechii’s status as one of music’s most innovative and honest storytellers. Whether she’s dodging metaphorical fires or sampling a millennial pop classic, Doechii proves in “Anxiety” that she’s not afraid to face her demons—she’ll film them, score them, and turn them into a chart-topping hit.
