Doechii’s \u201cAnxiety\u201d is built around \u201cSomebody That I Used to Know\u201d by Gotye featuring Kimbra.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If the instrumental instantly sounds familiar, that’s why.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But there’s another twist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Doechii originally made \u201cAnxiety\u201d years before becoming a major star.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The track first appeared online in an earlier form in 2019 and remained unavailable on major streaming platforms for years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After it went viral, Doechii officially released a newly cleared version in 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The result became one of TikTok’s defining music trends of 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSomebody That I Used to Know\u201d was released by Belgian-Australian musician Gotye in 2011.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It features New Zealand singer Kimbra.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The song became enormous internationally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Its unusual arrangement, sparse percussion and instantly recognisable guitar pattern made it sound unlike almost anything else on mainstream radio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That distinctive instrumental is exactly what makes Doechii’s use so noticeable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The released version uses elements of \u201cSomebody That I Used to Know\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Early versions of \u201cAnxiety\u201d were effectively made over the existing Gotye instrumental before Doechii had the commercial resources required to clear it properly for widespread monetised distribution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rolling Stone reported that the original version lived online for years before the sample was cleared and the track received an official streaming release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The song dates back to 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That’s one of the strangest parts of the story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Listeners often assume viral songs are new.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They’re not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A song can sit unnoticed for years before:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
an edit<\/p>\n\n\n\n
a meme<\/p>\n\n\n\n
a dance<\/p>\n\n\n\n
a TV show<\/p>\n\n\n\n
or an algorithm<\/p>\n\n\n\n
suddenly introduces it to millions of people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnxiety\u201d is a perfect example.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
TikTok users rediscovered the song and built a dance trend around it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The trend referenced a dance from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and eventually became so large that Will Smith and Tatyana Ali recreated it themselves, with Doechii joining them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
TikTok reported that the trend generated tens of billions of views during 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Anxiety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But not in an abstract way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Doechii describes the feeling of being unable to escape your own thoughts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The repetitive Gotye instrumental actually helps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The loop feels familiar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Circular.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Almost trapped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That’s surprisingly appropriate for a song about anxiety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Because the original already carries emotional memory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Millions of people associate \u201cSomebody That I Used to Know\u201d with:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
heartbreak<\/p>\n\n\n\n
distance<\/p>\n\n\n\n
awkward relationships<\/p>\n\n\n\n
early-2010s nostalgia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Doechii uses that emotional baggage without needing to recreate it from scratch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then she builds a completely different story on top.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sampling isn’t necessarily about copying something old.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At its best, it’s about changing what an old sound means.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Try:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kanye West \u2013 Stronger
Eminem \u2013 Stan
Dua Lipa \u2013 Love Again
Rihanna \u2013 SOS
Coolio \u2013 Gangsta’s Paradise
Doja Cat \u2013 Paint the Town Red
Nicki Minaj \u2013 Anaconda
David Guetta & Bebe Rexha \u2013 I’m Good (Blue)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Each becomes more interesting when you follow the sample backwards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It has three different generations of discovery inside one song.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gotye’s 2011 hit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Doechii’s 2019 recording.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
TikTok’s 2025 revival.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A listener in 2026 can discover all three at once.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That’s what music discovery looks like now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not chronological.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not organised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One song simply opens a door into another.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Doechii’s \u201cAnxiety\u201d is built around \u201cSomebody That I Used to Know\u201d by Gotye featuring Kimbra. If the instrumental instantly sounds familiar, that’s why. But there’s another twist. Doechii originally made \u201cAnxiety\u201d years before becoming a major star. The track first appeared online in an earlier form in 2019 and remained unavailable on major streaming platforms for years. After it went viral, Doechii officially released a newly cleared version in 2025. The result became one of TikTok’s defining music trends of 2025. What is the original Gotye song? \u201cSomebody That I Used to Know\u201d was released by Belgian-Australian musician Gotye in…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4024,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1247,2148,2164,1301],"coauthors":[2],"class_list":["post-4023","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-doechii","tag-explained","tag-sample","tag-sampling"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n