Conceptual Metaphor of Anxiety: Cognitive Linguistic Perspectives in Buzz Album By NIKI

This study investigates the conceptual metaphor of anxiety in Buzz, the third album by Indonesian singer NIKI, from a cognitive linguistic perspective. Anxiety, as a blended emotional and cognitive experience, is often difficult to articulate directly, and metaphor provides a means to externalize such subjective states. This research analyzes how metaphorical expressions in NIKI’s lyrics conceptualize anxiety and how these are structured through image schemas. Using a qualitative descriptive method, data were collected from 13 songs on the album and transcribed into narrative texts. From 462 lines of lyrics, 66 metaphorical expressions were identified, and 16 of them were classified as anxiety-related metaphors. The analysis employs Conceptual Metaphor Theory and Image Schema Theory to examine the cognitive mappings involved. The findings reveal five metaphorical concepts of anxiety: ANXIETY IS EFFORT, PAIN, RELATION, PROTECTION, and DIRECTION, which are realized through image schemas such as FORCE, CONTAINER, SPACE, EXISTENCE, and UNITY. The dominant schema, SPACE, reflects the spatial orientation and instability associated with emotional disorientation. These results demonstrate that metaphor in song lyrics not only enhances aesthetic expression but also serves as a cognitive tool for expressing internal psychological struggles. This study contributes to cognitive linguistics by offering insight into how complex emotions like anxiety are represented in contemporary music discourse. This insight may inform mental health awareness and highlight music’s role in helping listeners process and articulate emotional experiences.