Video taking off 15x its usual first day

Ashnikko revives Gwen Stefani's 2004 'What You Waiting For?' on Like A Version

The cover sits beside a live 'Sticky Fingers' and a behind-the-scenes film, and its comment section keeps asking for a studio release.

Channel:

triple j Story of October 9, 2026Trari Newsroom

Why this story? The video opened at a pace of 140,801 views a day, 15 times a normal first day on this channel (9,366).

Ashnikko covers Gwen Stefani's 'What You Waiting For?' for Like A Version

Ashnikko came to triple j's Like A Version with a song older than much of her audience: "What You Waiting For?", the restless, clock-ticking single that opened Gwen Stefani's solo career in 2004. Seven hours after the cover went up, it had close to 57,000 views. That is a lot for this channel, where a regular video usually ends its whole first day with under 10,000.

The pairing makes sense. Ashnikko, the American singer and rapper who broke through with "Daisy" in 2020, has built her style on cartoon-bright pop with a sharp edge, and Stefani's track was exactly that kind of record two decades early. Following the segment's usual format, she also played one of her own songs, "Sticky Fingers", which went up as its own video. A short behind-the-scenes film shows how the cover came together.

The comments came in far faster than on an ordinary first day here, and they are mostly about the song. Several viewers say the cover made them notice how far ahead of its time the original was. Others single out the way she handles the hiccuping "oh, uh, oh" passages. One running joke praises her outfit by pretending to have nearly worn the same thing. One commenter says they played in the band for the session. And many simply want the cover released as a studio track.

The next Like A Version guest has not been announced, but the channel already has its next guest of a different kind: an interview with Troye Sivan about his album 'She's the Best', posted the following morning.

Published on Trari

Where next?

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What viewers say

ethically sourced gwen stefani 💜
@Style_ericSee it on YouTube
Weird… I almost wore the exact same thing today.
@BowflexDevrySee it on YouTube
This makes me appreciate how ahead of its time this song was... like what a cool track. Great cover too!
@shaun457See it on YouTube

7 more comments

im obsessed with how she sings the “ohhhh UH ohhhhh” omg
@snottynepSee it on YouTube
This was crazy goood omg I need this cover released as a studio track
@Mattyofficial2004See it on YouTube
This song is 22 years old but it doesn't sound dated at all. Gwen Stefani and Linda Perry crafted a masterpiece for the ages.
@aramjoao92See it on YouTube
ugh this is already going triple platinum in my household, just sayin this is my dream crossover 😍😍
@a_good_username111See it on YouTube
wow her voice is perfect for this
@velozmachineSee it on YouTube
this is very very very important to me
@grebs4949See it on YouTube
THAT WAS SO FUN 😮‍💨😭
@gonthedrumsSee it on YouTube