What Can’t Doechii Do?
This week, we dive into Doechii’s newest hit single, Sinners breaks records, and a few streaming recs like Josh Johnson’s latest standup about Katy Perry and the AstroNOTS.
Back in 2011, I was just finishing up my 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training program, and every single one of my teachers was playing Gotye and Kimbra’s “Somebody That I Used To Know.” As a result, I couldn’t stand the song; I couldn’t even stomach it enough to give it the respect it deserved in the zeitgeist.
Then, along comes Doechii, who self-releases “Anxiety”—prominently featuring “Somebody That I Used To Know”—and suddenly, all the bad vibes and memories I had about that song fade into the background. I genuinely cannot help but like everything she puts out, and I’m not the only one.
In addition to serving as a testament to her masterful versatility in rapping and singing, “Anxiety” is Doechii’s best performing single so far, reaching number one in Australia, Greece, Latvia, New Zealand, and Switzerland, while entering the top ten charts in various countries including Austria, Germany, Ireland, Lithuania, France, Norway, the UK and the US.
Though the single “Anxiety” was released to YouTube on November 10, 2019, the song was re-recorded and released to streaming platforms on March 4 of this year, following a surge in popularity on social media after Doechii’s Grammy win for Best Rap Album.
Let me repeat that: Doechii wrote a hit six years ago and is just now getting her flowers for it. When it finally got the dues it deserved thanks to the internet, quick as lightning, she re-recorded it, added it as a bonus track to her 2024 mixtape “Alligator Bites Never Heal”, and then Friday, April 18th, she released a captivating music video to accompany the song.
Readers know I’ve been a Doechii fan for a while now, and I have to say it’s ridiculously awesome to see an artist grow in both artistry and popularity the way she has. Doechii is a force of pure talent that we haven’t seen the likes of in a very long time. Honestly, we’re just lucky to be along for the ride.
Sinners
If you’ve avoided spoilers so far, I won’t be the one to give anything away so I’m just going to echo what millions of other people have been saying since opening weekend: Go see this f*cking movie.
Ryan Coogler’s horror film Sinners has been making history since its opening weekend, earning $48 million at the domestic box office, giving it the highest-grossing Easter weekend debut for an R-rated movie in history. It remained in the No.1 slot in the domestic box office for the second weekend in a row with $45 million, and has hit a cumulative gross of $161.6 million worldwide.
If the numbers alone aren’t impressive enough, it's worth noting that director Ryan Coogler brokered a deal with Warner Bros., granting him ownership of Sinners after 25 years—a rare occurrence in Hollywood. The deal also includes creative control and a first-dollar gross agreement for Coogler. In addition, cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw has become the first female director of photography to shoot a movie on large-format IMAX film.
Record-breaking, beautiful cinematography, and a story you won’t soon forget: don’t miss out on saying you saw Sinners make cinematic history.
P.S.A. As someone who can’t do horror, this had a few jump scares initially, but that was it. Expect tense moments, violence, and gore.
Stream-Worthy
Movies/TV/Docs
Group Therapy (Prime Video): An honest, genuine, and at-times heavy docu-special about six comedians who come together to talk about the intersection of comedy and mental health. Neil Patrick Harris moderates as stand-up comedians Gary Gulman, Atsuko Okatsuka, Tig Notaro, London Hughes, Nicole Byer, and Mike Birbiglia discuss their personal experiences. Not a comedy, but inevitably funny moments abound. 7/10
Companion (Max): A weekend getaway at a remote cabin turns to chaos when it's revealed that one of the guests—a subservient android built for human companionship—has gone haywire. A sci-fi thriller with a decent plot, adequate acting, and gore that’s reminiscent of 80s slasher films. 6.5/10
The 10-Minute Mission: Katy Perry and the AstroNOTS (YouTube): Josh Johnson does a standup set about the quick but historical NS-31 Blue Origin trip to the Kármán Line by six women, and the backlash that incurred. 7/10
The Residence (Netflix): The eccentric and brilliant Detective Cordelia Cupp is called in to solve a suspicious death in the White House during a state dinner. Uzo Aduba shines in this fun but slow-paced whodunnit from Shondaland. The cast is packed with talent and while it does move at a slower pace than I’d like, I still enjoyed it. 7.5/10
Of Note
2025 has been a difficult year for transgender people and we’re only four months in. Over 850 bills targeting the community have been filed, the most in United States history.
Several celebrities are joining fans in plans to boycott HBO’s upcoming Harry Potter TV series in response to J.K. Rowling’s anti-trans views as well as her most recent financial support of anti-trans legislation in the UK.